As children are the next citizens and stewards of this planet, it is only fitting to get them interested in helping solve its issues early on, so they can grow up to be responsible, functioning members of society.

At present, the world is facing a plethora of issues – from worsening climate change to rising cases of poverty. Then, there is the health crisis that has made things even more dire.

As such, it is the perfect time to get students involved in helping think of solutions. But informing them about the current issues is not enough. They also need to be empowered so that they can start creating innovative ideas that will help their community.

Knowing the importance of empowering the next generation, in 2019 Shell has introduced its global flagship STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education program to Filipino youths. Shell NXplorers aims to help students to gain a wider understanding of different world issues and develop the skills to come up with sustainable solutions that will help solve problems concerning the food-water-energy nexus. Through a series of workshops, students are taught the interconnectivity of these issues and the importance of coming up with new solutions to address them and make life better for everyone.

The program ends with a culminating activity, The Bright Ideas Challenge, where teams of students use what they learned from the workshops and compete to come up with the best idea or innovative solution that will address issues in their own community.

Since it kicked off in 2019, the program has reached 32 schools and trained 1,381 students and 196 teachers. In 2021, despite the current situation making it difficult to hold programs like these, the company was able to recalibrate the program so it can continue over the virtual space. And 2021's The Bright Ideas Challenge has produced some interesting innovations.

Get to know three of the winning teams and their bright ideas.

Smart AGRIHUB by Team Agriserve

The project that won the 2021 championship is Team Agriserve's Smart AGRIHUB.

Smart AGRIHUB is a multipurpose website and data server that aims to help farmers enter the digital space where they can promote their products, find customers, and link up with other agribusiness partners. It was conceptualized by five Grade 8 to Grade 11 students from the Philippine Science High School - Cagayan Valley Campus, guided by their Special Science Teacher and coach Bryle Eusebio.

According to the team, this project was created because they are very passionate about helping the farmers in Isabela, as the Province of Isabela is called the Rice Granary of the North.

''It is because these days, the health crisis has really struck a chord among farmers and it is harder to ask for help from the authorities since they have to go to the office of the DA (Department of Agriculture) themselves,'' shared Csheryl Marie Pantig.

The platform they created will allow farmers to directly communicate with the government, other farmers, and even consumers without having to leave their farms. This is especially helpful at cutting the long process of getting aid for crops destroyed by typhoons.

''As our world has been moving to a much more digital age, many sectors, especially agriculture, are being left behind. Most are still sticking with traditional methods of planting crops and even the data-keeping of the DA is still on pen and paper. So we wanted to make it much more efficient for them and easier,'' Mary Pearl Liwanag added.

''I think helping the farmers is a crucial part of the development of a city or a place and helping them will really develop Cauayan City, this is where we are going to start working on our project. And once the farmers start using the platform, the job will be done easily and they will be more organized,'' Zakaree Zea Bouffard also shared.

''Shell NXplorers has been able to inspire these students even at a young age. So thankfully, they were able to join the workshops conducted by NXplorers which trained them and introduced them to NXplorers' tools to be able to execute plans,'' said Bryle Eusebio.

PagSOILbok by Team El Terratix

Another winning team from the Philippine Science High School - Cagayan Valley Campus is El Terratix. Their idea was to create a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly soil testing machine called PagSOILbok. It went on to win the Gold Award in the global competition.

''Our team's winning idea for the Bright Ideas Challenge is a mobile app-supported soil testing machine. What it does is basically assess the quality of soil present in various lands. Then it outputs deficiencies observed in the soil sample,'' shared Prince Angelo Rivera. ''In this way, farmers can utilize our project and know the amount or type of fertilizer to be used in their farmland.''

The team aims to target an issue called soil degradation where soil quality declines, thereby producing lower quality and quantity of crops. It also wants to help farmers by addressing one expensive aspect of farming which is fertilizer. The prototype is a portable testing device that will allow farmers to test their land without needing to send samples to a laboratory.

''So if it says that it has too much nitrogen content in the soil, it will provide a solution to fix that. And also, aside from showing results and providing solutions, we envision our app to have many other features such as having a marketplace, having a place where you can consult actual soil experts, and having your own profile so you know what is best for your soil given what kind of plants you are raising,'' said Zena Yelena Shimmery Dellomos.

What makes the recognition sweet for these students was that they had to go through a lot of hurdles to come up with their winning idea. They persevered and were able to create a project that will be of help to the agriculture sector.

''As students, we are all in this together. So we should all get involved. We should be sensitive to what is happening around us because the future lies in our hands. I think the magic phrase is empathize with action,'' said Hadiya Andoy.

''Now is the most auspicious time to act and contribute. With our minds put together, we can reshape the world and redirect it to discoveries that will pave the way to our desired tomorrow,'' Edan Viel Aguada added.

DANUM by Team Danum

The 3rd runner-up in the competition is Team Danum from Bansud National High School - Regional Science High School for MIMAROPA led by their coach and science teacher Alexis Albo. They were also the recipients of the People's Choice Award.

While the group initially had some reservations as they have not worked together before, when faced with a common issue, they were able to set their differences aside and came up with a plan to help improve the traditional crop watering system.

Living in the countryside of Oriental Mindoro, these students saw how many families rely on farming as their primary point of subsistence. They also witnessed the lack of mechanization and modernization in agricultural techniques which poses a problem. So they turned their attention to irrigation, which is vital in watering the crops and getting a good yield.

The invention is called Data-driven Agribot Nexus Utility Model or DANUM for short. The term 'danum' also means water in the Mangyan dialect, a fitting name for their project.

''Our system is composed of water monitoring, water filtering, and the automated irrigation for farming,'' said Jarell Aldrix Famadico.

''First of the functions is that it detects the quality of the wastewater in terms of pH turbidity and lead ion content. And second, after the detection, the wastewater will be subjected to filtration to improve its pH and turbidity,'' Franklin Razon shared about their invention. ''The treated wastewater would then be stored into our smart irrigation system. Our smart irrigation system automatically waters the crops only when they need it. So it ensures that the water is really used meaningfully and sustainably. And fourth, we only considered the ergonomic aspect of our prototype. We installed some water turbines in order for DANUM to harness energy from the flowing water into the pipelines, which connects all the integrated systems of our DANUM.''

The team has even thought of making several versions of varying sizes to accommodate both small-scale operations and big farms.

These ideas will not just remain blueprints on paper. Under the program, "The Bright Ideas Challenge Unleashed," Shell is currently continuing its support to these teams in developing their ideas and improving their prototypes so that it can eventually be deployed to help their various communities.

As evidenced by these bright ideas, Shell made the investment in supporting the youth. When given the proper training and resources, young kids can help provide ingenious sustainable solutions to major global challenges.

As one of the students said, the younger generation offers a different kind of insight, especially in the digital age where they grew up. That is why for the prosperity and progress of the Philippines, these students should be empowered and given all the tools to help them grow up with an awareness of the problems at hand, and a sturdy foundation with the skills and knowledge to solve them.

To know more about this program and how Shell is committed to continue inspiring future leaders and innovators, visit its website. #LetsKeepMovingThePhilippinesForward