Here it is.  The last night of the trip.  It's been a great time and I can see that many of the boys have grown a lot.  First, a recap of the day, and then some thoughts about the trip. 

The day started with our regular brains on activity.  Today it was cup stacking.  I will admit that I had an opportunity to visit a makerspace at Laurier University's library down the street, so I missed this activity, but returned for their session on public speaking and a coaching session for their presentations on their Create Value Challenge.  There was some frustration as the students got some criticism on the 30 second versions of their presentations, but they learned a lot from these practice runs and ultimately put the feedback to work later in the day.  We then boarded the bus and hoofed it across town to the Tannery.  This is a huge wooden building that used to house the 3rd largest tannery in the British Empire.  The Brits moved out and the building changed purposes multiple times.  Currently, it houses Communitech and Velocity (among other tech based companies) that focus on startups and innovation generally.  It is possible for young entrepreneurs to avail themselves of services, networking, and advice for up to 3 years to get their companies off the ground.  All without having to give up any equity in their companies to Communitech or Velocity.  The spaces cater to all sorts of activities and needs and are interesting and fun to tour.  A previous resident in the building (Google) left behind cafeterias, games rooms, and a slide!

After touring the facility, eating lunch and putting the finishing touches on their presentations, it was time for the boys to pitch their work to a panel of heads of local companies.  They each had 6 minutes to tell there stories and 2 minutes for a Q&A with the judges.  I have to say, this is only the second time that we've done this with students and I was thoroughly impressed with creativity in their work and the quality of the presentations.  The judges had a genuinely difficult time picking a winner.  Ultimately, the award (and a DIY hand-held computer game kit) went to Ace and Riley who developed a publicity campaign for suicide prevention.  The judges were impressed with the way that equated their project to creating value and the high quality of the design work involved.  The day ended with some chill time with the option for the boys who wished, to go back to @CTRL V to blow off some steam in the VR arcade.  Tomorrow, we head to St Jacobs Market before heading home.

I think that hardest thing about the year-end trip is that it happens at the end of the year.  After spending a year with the group, the learning and relationships have developed so significantly that it feels like we are returning to Vancouver with an entirely different group of students than we left with.  There have been so many opportunities to chat, and for the boys to interact with ideas that they would never have time to in the day to day of St George's.  I would be very surprised if at least some parent don't get requests for tools, toys, courses, books, and other items to extend the learning of something that's been triggered by this trip.  One student returned last year wanting an engine that he could dissect and rebuild on his own!

My hope is that each and every boy has come out of this trip knowing something more about themselves.  Maybe their personal project or create value challenge project has sparked something in them and they feel a need to take it further.  Maybe they now realize that they need to learn to code, or build robots, or develop deeper fabrication skills.  Maybe, they've realized that STEM is not for them.  This is all good and I would hope that they find ways of getting support to deepen their learning through the school.  I would love it if I had 18 conversations about personal projects (new or continued) that the students need support for in the coming years.  If it means organizing tools, materials, or mentorship, we can find a way of making it happen. 

Whatever each individual students' experience has been on this trip, it has been an honour to travel and learn with them.  The folks at U of Waterloo: Caity, Lyndia, Jen, and Kris have all been amazing and we can't thank them enough for their energy and hospitality.  And, it is always a pleasure to work and travel with such fine colleagues and Ms Holmen, and Mr Forseth.  See you all in Vancouver!