Adolescents’ Capacity for Innovation

Adolescents have a special capacity for innovation. As they grow and develop between the ages of 10 and 17, their brains undergo a burst of neurological (神经系统的) progress that opens them up to more advanced thoughts, emotions and behaviors.

This allows them to analyze the world in different ways. Thus, they learn to use new abstract and reasoning skills to solve problems and explore complex ideas.

It is no surprise then, that girls and boys bring new energy and curiosity to their lives as they become adolescents, and are ready to question and challenge.

Adolescents need to innovate—experiment, solve problems, and explore new ideas, so that their minds can develop in healthy ways. This is particularly important in humanitarian situations. This is because adolescents’ cognitive development may be disrupted (干扰) by the stresses and emotional impact of conflict or disaster, and opportunities to reflect, imagine and invent are often limited.

For adolescents, the benefit of working as innovators is what they learn through the process of innovation. By creating inventions, brainstorming solutions and collaborating on creative projects, adolescents can cultivate vital practical skills and healthy mindsets while expanding their knowledge. They are important to their well-being.

By working on innovative projects and creating inventions, adolescents can practice experimenting and exploring different strategies for reaching goals. This allows them to learn patience and perseverance, and to practice overcoming setbacks. They learn how to face mistakes, accept failure, and bounce back. Then they learn from their experiences. By doing so, they will be able to move on.

Working as innovators also gives adolescents space to express themselves.

Through different inventions and creations, adolescents can find new ways to express their ideas, and to interpret what they see and hear around them. They can connect with their communities and take positive action through projects that work to support humanitarian response efforts or development initiatives.