This crew’s crazy big vision is a program that adopts stray animals and retrains them to become service animals for people who feel isolated, anxious or disconnected. Each pet wears a special collar that links to their microchip that creates a two-way connection that helps them “communicate” their needs and read their new owner’s mood.
To get things start as a smart start experiment, the team would like to invite animal shelter operators into their school to run presentations on the benefits of pet adoption for both the new owners and the pets. These sessions will include live visits from safe, socialised shelter animals, letting students connect firsthand. Before and after the sessions, students will complete a short survey measuring how they feel, creating real data to back the emotional and wellbeing benefits of pet ownership.
The teams crazy big idea is a plug-in program or app that links with school platforms like Compass, giving teachers a one-press way to reward students for effort, kindness and participation, whatever matters most to them and their students. Students rack up points that can be traded for experiences or real rewards, like choosing a fun activity or scoring vouchers to local businesses. It’s not about being top of the class, it’s about showing up, trying hard, and getting recognised for it.
To bring the idea to life, a Year 9 class will work with their teacher to co-design a custom reward system. Together, they’ll agree on what behaviours to celebrate, what rewards feel fair, and how often students can spin the “Wheel of Rewards.” It’s fun, it’s personalised, and it proves that when students feel heard, they show up even more.
This team dreamed up a game-changing platform – a website designed to teach life skills through every stage of a young person’s journey. From learning to tie your shoes and pack your lunch in primary school, to mastering resumes, rent, and recipes in high school, this platform grows as you do. It’s practical, personalised, and built to fill the gaps traditional schooling often misses.
To kick it all off, the team suggested a Year 9 class will buddy up with local Grade 3 & 4 students to teach hands-on life skills—like simple cooking, tidying up, and helping out at home. It’s real learning, driven by students and grounded in what young people actually need to know.
This team’s crazy big idea was a virtual reality program that puts users inside the experience of driving under the influence. From blurry vision and delayed reaction time to devastating outcomes, it’s a first-person simulation designed by young people, for young people to help educate young people about the consequences before it’s too late.
Sadly, this crew couldn’t make it to Day Two of Crazy Ideas College’s Social Innovators, but imagine if they had? The potential is huge.
The team’s crazy big idea, an army of spider-like robots designed to roam deforested and damaged bushland. These robots examine trees, detect sickness or damage, and spring into action; fertilising, watering, and restoring life to struggling trees.
To start the conversation, the team wouls like to partner with a local artist to paint a massive mural in town. The artwork will showcase vibrant scenes of people and animals living joyfully among trees, with a powerful message hidden in the sun: “All these memories are because of trees. What happens when they are gone?”
Beneath the mural, an information plaque will invite the community to learn about tree health, environmental action, and how we can all be part of the solution.
What if young people didn’t have to wait to start their futures? What if teens could drive to their jobs, earn their own money, and build independence, sooner?
Imagine a worldwide event where young people come together to talk about changing the rules; lowering the legal age to work and drive. The goal is to give teens the freedom to access jobs, earn income earlier, and reduce the pressure on adults to drive them around. It’s about independence, responsibility, and real-world readiness, especially in regional areas where transport and opportunities are limited.
To start the conversation the team would like to organise a formal presentation to local council at the Town Hall. To pitch to the local councillors and community leaders reasons to lower the employment and driving age specifically to support regional youth in gaining access to work and becoming self-sufficient.
This team came up with a crazy big idea, an island reserve, remote, protected, and purpose-built, where every endangered species can thrive. Cared for by expert environmentalists and animal specialists, this sanctuary would be a last line of defence against extinction. From the tiniest frogs to the biggest whales, the island would give animals a second chance and help rebuild fragile populations in safety.
The team would like to launch a local podcast focused on wildlife and conservation to start the conversation and make their first small step towards the island. The podcast will feature stories, facts, and interviews, all aimed at educating listeners about endangered species and promoting the idea of a full-scale documentary to bring global attention to the crisis and the solution.
This team created the idea of a small device you place on your temple that instantly downloads any information you want to learn; languages, maths, science, even life skills, in seconds. No lectures, no stress, just fast, direct learning.
While instant brain downloads aren’t quite here yet, the team is kicking things off by inviting real-life experts to school once a month to teach students about different topics. Students will choose the subjects through a survey system, making the learning relevant, exciting, and driven by what they actually want to know.
Taxes can feel like a mystery – money disappears from your paycheck, and you’re left wondering where it actually goes. This team wants to change that with What Is Your Tax Doing? an online platform that breaks down where government support payments really end up.
Their aim is to combat misinformation by showing the real impact of welfare payments, highlighting stories of how support helps people meet basic needs, pursue education, care for family, and build stability. It’s all about making government spending visible, accessible, and human.
To launch their idea, the team is kicking off a social media campaign designed to educate everyday taxpayers, using facts and personal stories to challenge assumptions and promote more informed, respectful conversations.
Health shouldn’t be intimidating. That’s why M.A.P. Health Guidance is reimagining how we learn about it—through a fun, interactive website filled with games, songs, quizzes, stories, and advice from real professionals.
To start, the team will install an anonymous “health story box” where students can share their experiences and read others’ stories, creating a space for connection, understanding, and empathy around physical and mental health.
