A team of entrepreneurial young learners from South Ayrshire has won a Scotland-wide competition with their innovative new idea to transform health and care provision for young people.

Team Go Tree from Marr College in Troon have been announced as the Scottish winners of the secondary school edition of #DigiInventors Challenge 2023.

The competition challenges young people to identify and research health and care challenges and come up with ideas which could be developed into a potential digital solution.

This year, the young people were tasked with developing an idea for a solution that uses SMART technology to help young people’s mental health and wellbeing, especially when they are dealing with peer pressure or being bullied.

The South Ayrshire champions’ idea for an app that supports daily task and mindfulness activities, improving mental health and wellbeing through stress relief and self-esteem building, won out over dozens of entries from across the country.

A prizegiving ceremony will take place in the New Year, where Team Go Tree will receive tech prizes, certificates, and a trophy.

Announcing the winners at the DigiFest23 conference, Margaret Whoriskey, the Scottish Government’s Director of Digital Health & Care, said the #DigiInventors Challenge is contributing to the next generation of a “digital thriving nation”.

The annual Competition – now in its seventh year – invites secondary school learners to explore how technology can be used to solve some of the biggest challenges facing health and care.

Shortlisted teams are able, with the help of experts, to develop their entrepreneurial and digital skills in a boot camp, with finalists then asked to pitch their concept to a panel of highly experienced judges.

Developed by Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, in partnership with dresscode, City of Glasgow College, Heriot Watt University and the Scottish Tech Army, the #DigiInventors Challenge aims to raise awareness of the sector and potential career opportunities.

Past winning ideas include a mobile app that allows school students to pre-order their school lunch and a digital app that helps sports coaches and young people support teammates with diabetes to manage their condition.

The programme has gone international, with a concurrent programme running in the United Arab Emirates.

Team SERA from GEMS Our Own English High School in Dubai, with their idea for an AI-powered digital wellbeing assistant, are this year’s winners.

Younger children in Scotland can also now get involved and develop their digital skills, with the next primary school edition of the #DigiInventors Challenge set to launch in January 2024.

Read more: NHS launches good ideas accelerator; HealthTech losing faith in UK market?; Care Technologists pilot expands

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