Rocketeer Kids Festival in Augsburg: This Is How Children Imagine the Future
At the Rocketeer Kids Festival in Augsburg, children and teens explore their futures. The event also showcases a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit.
Children are the future. The children and teens at the Augsburger Allgemeine’s Rocketeer Kids Festival demonstrated in an impressive way that this is more than just a cliché. Full of enthusiasm, the girls and boys at the festival in the Westhouse Augsburg took part in the many program activities and workshops focused on the future. And at the Funkenwerk Kids Awards ceremony, one thing became clear: Young people have a clear plan for how to improve people’s lives in the future.
Four high schools from the region competed against each other with their teams at the Funkenwerk Kids Award on Saturday. The award was presented for the first time this year in cooperation with Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Each participating team was the winner of an in-school competition for the best idea for the future.
Students from the “FoodScout” team at Augsburg’s Fuggergymnasium have developed an app that compares food prices in real time and suggests the most affordable place to shop. Marc Löffler, Leonard Plovs, and Felicitas Rujevcan demonstrated their well-developed concept for such a comparison app. “You scan your shopping list and can then see in real time where the groceries are cheapest,” explained ninth-grader Felicitas Rujevcan. The app will also offer various filter options, such as searching for vegan or organic foods. Many households already use price-comparison apps—a market in which the students see opportunities. The data will eventually come from the retailers—in exchange, they’ll receive advertising opportunities in “FoodScout.” Now, the only thing these young people need is the capital to get their idea off the ground.
The other students were creative as well. The team from Maria Ward High School devised a technical device called “Lynnix” that allows users to signal to drivers on public transit that they’d still like to ride along. “Going2Future” was the name of the app developed by St. Stephan High School, designed to help recent graduates choose a career.
Königsbrunn High School Wins the Funkenwerk Award
The first Funkenwerk Kids Award, however, went to the team from Köngisbrunn High School, which was likely due in part to the clever presentation of their pitch. “Plant2Gether” is a system that takes care of the well-being of users’ houseplants—one team member humorously portrayed the suffering houseplant as part of the plant system. The system determines the plants’ nutrient needs and advises users on how to care for their houseplants optimally. A green thumb at the touch of a button, so to speak.
The Rocketeer Kids Festival has its roots in the Rocketeer Festival—a future-focused festival for adults aimed at all innovative minds in the Augsburg region (and beyond). Since 2019, it has been hosted by the Augsburger Allgemeine and organized by pd next, the innovation unit of the Pressedruck media group. The Rocketeer Kids Festival—the “kids’ edition,” so to speak—took place for the second time this year. It appeals to a younger audience—the true makers of tomorrow.
Press release: Fridtjof Atterdal, Augsburger Allgemeine
