The 2023 GSTEP Pitching and Judging events for finalists in the Greater Accra took place at the Garrison Church of Pentecost, Burma Camp. On the 23rd and 24th of November 2023, 34 finalist teams of the GSTEP Challenge presented their ideas and prototypes to a panel of judges.
As part of the GSTEP programme, finalist teams receive materials, along with guidance from mentors and coaches, facilitating the development of their ideas into prototypes. Throughout the coaching and mentoring stage of the Challenge, technical assistance is provided, and finalists receive guidance on honing their presentation skills to be able to clearly communicate their ideas and solutions to challenges in their communities.
Each day’s event commenced with the MC for the day, also the Programmes Manager for the DreamOval Foundation, Mrs. Keren Beecham introducing the judges and the respective GSTEP finalist teams. Mrs. Berthy Buah, the Regional STMIE Coordinator of the Ghana Education Service, Greater Accra, delivered the opening speech. She joyfully expressed how proud she was of each team and encouraged them to be bold, creative and smart in their pitches. She also showed appreciation to all teachers, mentors, coaches and STEM Coordinators for their steadfast commitment to their teams and the programme.
Each finalist team was allotted a 15-minute window to present their concepts, showcase their prototypes, and engage in a question-and-answer session with the judging panel. Our distinguished GSTEP Judges delivered their unbiased verdicts and offered valuable advice to enhance the quality of these prototypes. Each team’s pitch, idea and prototype were assessed on Impact (it’s impact to the community and society), Innovation (how innovative the idea is), Enterprising (how marketable the product is), Teamwork (how the team worked together to develop their idea), Communication (how the team was able to communicate their idea) and finally Risk Factors (the health, safety and environmental implications of their project).
Additionally, three workshops on Entrepreneurship and Patent Rights and Career Development were held, aimed at educating the teams on achieving success as entrepreneurs and securing patents for their creations as intellectual property. The 34 teams were divided into three groups and participated in the workshop sessions in turns.
The programme ended successfully with the finalist teams from the diverse schools and districts connecting and socialising. The students took group photos, and the event concluded with expressions of gratitude from the MC for the event. The judges gave final individual remarks to the students to show appreciation and express satisfaction to all prototypes presented.
