Y&TC at Imagination Unleashed 2024

On the 12^th March, Sarah Waller, Young & Talented Cornwall’s Programme Coordinator,  was delighted to be part of Imagination Unleashed 2024, which showcased some of the best examples of Cornwall’s CreaTech innovation.

It was an opportunity to explore the opportunities to come – for careers, for business investment and for public engagement. Hosted by Hall for Cornwall, the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Digital Skills Partnership, Screen Cornwall and Cultivator, this flagship event brought together schools, industry and key players to discover, play and dream.

As part of Young & Talented Cornwall, Sarah was invited to chair a panel consisting of some of Cornwall’s most innovative young pioneers of CreaTech, ranging from digital fashion designers to Directors of independent animation studios.

CreaTech is where creativity meets technology, inspiring new ways of telling stories, engaging audiences and driving business growth.

With an audience of 160 children aged 11-14 years from across Cornwall and their teachers, we discussed how important creativity was as part of their journeys to be who they are now, building the technology career they have in Cornwall.

This opportunity allowed young people to see and hear from successful innovators and ask questions about their journeys into and beyond education, the passions and skills beyond the curriculum that are so important, such as resilience and bravery in creating jobs that didn’t exist before.

Cornwall has more people working in creative industries than any other rural area of the UK. It also has the South West’s fastest growing tech sector alongside a thriving cultural sector, so it follows that we are becoming a leading region in the CreaTech space not just for entertainment and enrichment, but in solving real world challenges in healthcare, climate, and communication.

Being part of this event was a brilliant space to introduce the Young & Talented Cornwall Spirit of Trevithick Award, encouraging aspiration and awareness of the support for the STEAM Pioneers of the future.

If you or someone you know is a young aspiring innovator in STEM, please take a look at our Spirit of Trevithick Award where they could win a mentoring partnership with an established Cornish business as well as financial support. Deadline to apply is 22nd March 2024.

Photo credits: Hugh Hastings-  Hall for Cornwall