Compelling issues abound in today’s society. In local communities all across the country, there exists several obstacles to otherwise peaceful, efficient, and effective daily life. As some old problems are fixed, new ones are found to take their place. This is why throughout the decades, the youth are taught the foundations of science and technology. These scientific disciplines are meant to arm students with the necessary knowledge and mastery to find new solutions to otherwise enduring and persistent public problems – for that is what education aims to provide.
The Google Developers Student Clubs – UP Diliman (GDSC – UPD) stands in support of this advocacy through their launching of the Diliman Solutions Challenge (Diliman SoCha). The Google Developers Student Clubs (GDSC) are a community of young and bright students in tertiary education that have expressed great interest in the development and innovation of Google developer technologies. With independent organizations all across the world, the GDSC are able to enhance their knowledge in peer-to-peer learning environments as they construct and ideate groundbreaking solutions for themselves and their local communities. Founded in 2020, the recent addition to this global roster is the GDSC – UPD. Formed with the goal of bridging the gap between theory and practice, they prepare to launch their flagship event, the Diliman Socha in hopes of bringing together and providing great opportunities for the brightest student minds in the nation. These students will then aim to ideate, innovate, and then integrate relevant and effective solutions to pressing issues in local communities within the Philippines.
With 25+ solutions pitched in total, the Diliman SoCha comes back for its second rendition stronger than ever. Boasting the cultivation of a team that went on to attain the third place podium placement in the global SoCha in the prior year, the Diliman SoCha for this year fixates now on the current digital age as well as the ramifications of careless information use online. The Solutions Challenge (SoCha) had always been consistent with its advocacy of encouraging and empowering students to conceive novel improvements for the sake of their society.
The advocacy is one again maintained as well as improved upon this 2022, with the Diliman SoCha centered around the theme of “The Future of Truth”. In the current digital era, it has become increasingly more difficult to navigate across the accessible data online in pursuit of credible information. The rampant excess of misinformation hampers the ability of collective society to make educated decisions about many societal and political issues. The Challenge now lies with the students of the next generation as they are given an opportunity in the Diliman SoCha to identify a general real-world problem consistent with this theme, and to provide an effective Solution given feasible and educated plans of action. These registrants will be offered a platform to grow during this event by being provided with the necessary tools, info sessions, and team mentorships to help support their individual ideas and augment their capabilities to the fullest.
They will begin their journey with a 5-day ideathon series with guided workshops from exclusive speakers as well as a Town Hall event. This will serve as the first look of the students into the event proper, and will kickstart their ideation process for solutions in each of their respective presented social issues. This will then be immediately followed by a nearly 2-week long series of mentorship sessions. The proposal of each team is expected to be polished and improved during this period, and will be advised by the mentors through a cycle of feedback and consultation. The preparation all throughout the event proper will culminate in the live pitching sessions, where the top 5 teams must prepare a concise pitch of their proposed solutions to a panel of distinguished judges. These teams must then utilize their amassed wisdom and wit to defend their solutions in the context of a real-world scenario.
Participants are given the opportunity to win up to ₱30,000 as the grand winner of the event, as well as some special sponsor rewards and certificates of participation. This competition is open to all university students regardless of academic background. One may register either as an individual or as a team of up to 4 members. Through the Diliman SoCha, GDSC-UP aims to create an inclusive and dynamic environment where students can join and make impactful solutions. Create an impact. Register now.
ADVT.