Innovation Challenge: Youth Create Sustainable Solutions with General Motors

After a journey filled with learning, creativity, and teamwork, the Regional Final of the General Motors and Junior Achievement Americas Innovation Challenge took place, with the participation of teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay.

This initiative promotes entrepreneurial thinking and environmental awareness among students across the region, inviting them to design solutions that help reduce the environmental impact of vehicles at every stage of their life cycle.

Throughout the school competitions, national finals, and mentoring sessions, more than 570 students from 26 schools, together with 70 General Motors volunteers, dared to imagine the future of sustainable mobility by combining research, creativity, and collaborative work.

“The program seemed very innovative to me, a completely new experience that challenged us to explore our ideas, unleash our creativity, and think of viable solutions”, said Paola Adrianza, participant from Colombia

"For me, it was one of the best experiences we had this past year, as it was undoubtedly one of the ones where I learned the most and that helped me the most for the future," said Mia Farias, participant from Argentina.

"I feel very proud to be part of this great initiative that truly seeks and promotes creativity and innovation in students, and above all, I have seen in them that passion, that desire, that dedication," said Gabriela Reynoso, GM Ecuador.

A Final Filled with Big Ideas and Great Talent

The Regional Final brought together the winning projects from each country, showcasing young people’s ability to think big and design solutions with real impact. The winning team was Heliox, from Domingo Faustino Sarmiento School in Ecuador, with a proposal focused on a charging station system for electric vehicles, recognized for its solid research, technical feasibility, and forward-looking approach to sustainability.

Junior Achievement President Noel served as a judge alongside Marcos Piva and Roberto Martín from General Motors. All three agreed that evaluating the projects was a major challenge, as every proposal was highly creative, well-supported, and reflected deep research and preparation.

Learning by Doing: Young People Innovating from the Classroom

The Innovation Challenge demonstrates how schools can spark scientific interest, foster curiosity, and build future-ready skills while encouraging students to create concrete solutions to today’s challenges.

A unique opportunity for students to discover the power of their ideas and feel inspired to transform the world through innovation, sustainability, and commitment.