TOM Colombia, in its seventh year, brings together students and mentors. With hard work these people tackle ongoing challenges, fostering innovation and compassion.
For seven years, TOM has been fostered in our country, bringing in necessitated people from all over the country, and providing innovative and scalable solutions for the challenges they face. Most of the work, however, happens behind the scenes, where students, mentors, and makers from different backgrounds work hard to bring forth the seventh edition of TOM Colombia.
“TOM is far more than what people see. The work of students and mentors from various institutions months before the main event marks the success of this beautiful initiative,” Pablo Arango, TOM Student Leader, said.
The process behind the 3-day main event started last year, where initial preparations and case selections took place. From the start of 2024, teams were assembled, and the logistics for the event were planned. Teams started delving into their need-knower’s condition, and even before brainstorming solutions, the cause of the problems was meticulously studied to provide the best solution.
“The lack of tools to optimize the production, collection, storage, and distribution process is also a problem and this is due to a lack of knowledge and information,” Nicolas Santamaria, Team Mentor, said.
Teams worked hard, taking into account the causes of the problem to brainstorm solutions for their need-knowers. Both in regular TOM, and TOM Agro, makers worked cohesively with their teams to ideate scalable solutions that are not only aimed to help their specific need-knower but a bigger population of people with the same or similar needs.
“I plan to use my programming skills to develop a communication app for people with cognitive disabilities.” Emilia Quintero, TOM Maker, said.
Although the main event spanned 3 days, from the 27th to the 29th, teams, with their solution already in mind, started materializing their ideas almost one month in advance.
“It’s great to come together with people already in university or in the workforce, it gives us a really unique opportunity to connect with people we wouldn’t otherwise have met,” Quintero said.
Ultimately, it’s the work of hundreds of people during months of hard work that culminates in an unforgettable event. For the seventh time, TOM has been fostered in our country, our department, our city, and our school. The work of these people resulted in scalable, and cost-effective solutions that tackle challenges that affect thousands of people.
“Never stop helping others and take advantage of all the tools that the school gives you to have initiatives that change the world through love and solidarity,” Santamaria said.