On the weekend of the 4th and 5th June 2016, Teen Start-up will once again introduce Canberra’s teens and tweens to the entrepreneurship process.

School students (10-18 year olds) from across Canberra will form teams, work together to come up with an idea for a business and then pitch their concept to a panel of judges.

The theme for this Teen Start-Up Challenge is “Future Cities”.

Teams will be looking at issues that will affect cities such as energy, transport, housing, security of water and food, liveability, social inclusion, smart cities, climate change, health and wellness and much more.

According to event organisers, Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre, while schools’ focus on teaching the 3 ‘Rs’ – ‘reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic, Teen Start-Up provides a unique platform for learning the 4 C’s that have been identified as 21st Century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication.

“Students don’t need to know how to code to take part,” says Anna Pino, CEO of Lighthouse, “they just need to bring their enthusiasm and good ideas.”

“The advances in technology mean through the Internet students have immediate access to a world of knowledge and this has resulted in dramatic changes to the way we work and live.

“Now, the ability to use technology needs to be supplemented with the ability to think, ask good questions and solve problems”.

Teen Start-Up is open to students in Years 5 to 12 and takes place at Orana Steiner School in Weston from 9am to 5pm on Saturday the 4th and 5th of June. Parents, family and friends are welcome to attend on the Sunday afternoon to watch the teams pitch to a judging panel made up of local Canberra entrepreneurs, investors and educators.