Young minds and our mentoring experience at the IDEA4DEFENCE final

The final of the IDEA4DEFENCE Ideathon, organised jointly by Genç MÜSİAD and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), concluded at TUSAŞ’s headquarters campus in Ankara. The event received more than 1,000 applications, with 10 finalist teams presenting their ideas to the jury and answering questions. Following the evaluations, the top three teams were selected. For us at X Mind Solutions, the ability to generate ideas, courage and vision we witnessed during the mentoring process were among the most valuable aspects of the final.

The effort demonstrated by the finalist teams was too valuable to be judged solely by their competition rankings. Their responses to the jury’s questions and the way they conducted themselves were just as impressive as their presentations. For us, the value of the mentoring experience lay in seeing first-hand how these young people expressed and defended their ideas. Reaching the final 10 in an event attracting this many applications was an achievement worth celebrating for every finalist.

The venue gave the event added significance. TUSAŞ’s headquarters campus in Ankara houses the manufacturing and assembly workshops where aircraft such as ANKA, AKSUNGUR, ATAK, GÖKBEY and KAAN are produced. Having young people present their ideas on a campus with such a production environment provided a valuable setting for reflecting on the connection between education and production. This atmosphere was one of the elements that made the final experience about more than presentations before a jury.

We see the value of an ideathon not only in its final rankings, but also in the space it gives young people to think and express themselves. The courage and willingness to develop ideas that we witnessed throughout IDEA4DEFENCE were encouraging in this respect. We believe the atmosphere at TUSAŞ could strengthen participants’ commitment to their education, to creating and to their future careers. We regard this not as a measured outcome, but as a strong impression left by the enthusiasm we observed at the final and the way the teams carried themselves.

At X Mind Solutions, we congratulate the top-ranked teams and applaud all the finalists for their efforts and courage. We thank Genç MÜSİAD and TUSAŞ for bringing the event to life, and Cenglab for providing its infrastructure. Being part of the mentoring process allowed us to witness the young participants’ vision first-hand. Beyond the competition, what stayed with us was the hope these teams offered for our country’s future by putting forward their ideas, answering questions and showing their desire to create.