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Youth connect mobility for all with freedom, growth and happiness

Inclusive mobility means freedom of movement, opportunities for growth, and happier lives, according to the European students who took part last week in the “Mobility For All” Online Innovation Camp, organised on 18-19 November 2021 by JA Europe, in partnership with Toyota Motor Europe.

The high-school students from across Europe were given the challenge to come up with an innovative product or service that would improve the access to mobility, for those left behind in cities.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Filip-Alexandru Negreanu-Arboreanu, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean at the European Commission said that “as we move forward out of the COVID crisis, we are all interested to find out how mobility can become faster, thinner, more efficient and more digitalized.”

Kylie Jimenez, Senior Vice President at Toyota Motor Europe, in charge of People & Innovation, IT&D & Corporate Affairs added that “it is key for an industry player such as Toyota to inspire the future generation of leaders and to raise awareness about the role and importance of STEM. Learning about STEM is learning about the world around us and an opportunity to make it a better place. Toyota is dedicated to developing future and existing talent, and our partnership with JA Europe is an extension of this key priority.”

Salvatore Nigro, CEO JA Europe said that “Without STEM skills, it is simply impossible to imagine and implement the future of mobility. At JA Europe, we seek to empower Europe's youth in tackling the most pressing challenges of our times, and inclusive mobility is on top of these challenges. We are grateful to committed partners such as Toyota Motor Europe for helping us bring the students together and for sharing their expertise in the mobility sector with the next generation of Europeans.”

After two days of ideation and preparation, the students pitched their innovative solutions to a jury composed of Filip-Alexandru Negreanu-Arboreanu, Deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Adina Vălean, European Commission; Keren Beit Cohen, Business Creation Manager, EIT Urban Mobility; Karen Peeters, Head of Business Innovation, Toyota; Isotta Cerri, Head of R&D Material Engineering 1, Toyota; Rita van Driel, International Paralympic Committee, Governing Board member at large and Chairperson IPC Women in Sport Committee and Monica Perez Lobo, Head of Sustainability & ESG, Toyota.

The ideas the students came up with to foster inclusive mobility in our cities included a robot that would support people with reduced mobility. They also thought about small autonomous vehicles that would work like train lines for disabled people to travel safely and independently.

The winning idea was proposed by a team called “Mobility Green” from Germany, who came up with a navigation app called INMO, that would show accessible ways for people with reduced mobility. The team said: “Reduced mobility impacts not only physical health but also mental as the people with disabilities start to fear to go out more. This is why we developed “INMO” - a navigation app to help people with reduced mobility to move around the cities safely and more efficiently."

As a winning prize, the team will be invited to take part in Europe’s largest Entrepreneurship Festival, Gen-E, organised by JA Europe in Tallinn Estonia in July 2022.

About JA Europe

JA Europe is the largest non-profit in Europe dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship. JA Europe is a member of JA Worldwide® which for 100 years has delivered hands on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. JA creates pathways for employability, job creation and financial success. Last school year, the JA network in Europe reached almost 4 million young people across 40 countries with the support of nearly 100,000 business volunteers and over 140,000 teachers/educators.

About Toyota Motor Europe

Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, parts and accessories, and Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs around 27,000 people in Europe and has invested over EUR 10 billion since 1990. Toyota’s operations in Europe are supported by a network of 29 National Marketing and Sales Companies across 53 countries, a total of around 3,000 sales outlets, and nine manufacturing plants. In 2020, Toyota sold 993,113 Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe.

Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of "Ever Better Mobility for All", Toyota aims to create more inclusive and sustainable mobility, a society in which everyone can challenge their impossible. With the aim of contributing to global environmental sustainability, Toyota has developed the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 to address key global environmental issues. For more information, visit www.toyota-europe.com.