By Sitha Maliwa:
In classrooms and community halls across South Africa, a group of high school learners has been hard at work – tackling some of the country’s toughest challenges with nothing more than sharp minds, big ideas, and the guidance of volunteer mentors who’ve walked a similar path before.
These young changemakers are part of Solve for Tomorrow, a youth innovation challenge run by Samsung. The programme invites high school students to develop solutions for real-world problems using design thinking and STEM skills. This year’s theme, “Infrastructure and Safety,” asked learners to look closely at issues in their communities and use technology to address them in creative, practical ways.
What makes the programme especially effective is the role of mentors – Samsung employees who volunteer their time to support the learners and their teachers. Over six weeks, they’ve helped teams think through their ideas, test assumptions, and develop working prototypes that respond to local challenges.
The mentors don’t give answers. Instead, they help learners ask better questions and think more deeply. They join group discussions, offer feedback over video calls, and support teachers who may be new to innovation methods like design thinking.
Zanele Sobuswa, who has a background in engineering, mentored learners from Mthiyaqhwa High School in KwaZulu-Natal. She also took part in last year’s programme and helped a team from Limpopo reach second place nationally. This year, she helped her new team identify problems in their school commute and brainstorm tech-enabled safety solutions.
“They already have the energy and the ideas,” she said. “They just need someone to show them how to shape those ideas into something real.”
Rose Legodi, a mentor based in Bloemfontein, worked with students from Lenakeng Technical and Lereng Secondary Schools. With a background in marketing, Rose brought a fresh perspective, encouraging learners to reimagine how infrastructure can support safer, more inclusive communities.
“One group identified how poor lighting and broken roads made people feel unsafe,” she explained. “They didn’t just want to fix it – they wanted to redesign it with everyone in mind.”
Rose also made sure learners understood the bigger picture: problem-solving isn’t just about technology, but about people.
In Limpopo, Sizwe Mahlobo mentored learners from Thengwe Secondary School. With a technical background, Sizwe helped translate broad ideas into structured projects while also helping learners refine their critical thinking.
“At the start, most of them barely spoke. A few weeks later, they were pitching ideas, challenging each other, and leading discussions,” Sizwe said. “It was powerful to watch.”
Like many mentors, Sizwe says he left the programme inspired by the students’ determination and creativity.
While Solve for Tomorrow will eventually announce a winner, the biggest success may already be visible: learners who are thinking more critically, collaborating more effectively, and seeing themselves as capable of building real solutions.
With mentorship as a core part of the programme, Solve for Tomorrow has become more than just a tech competition. It’s a space where students = many of them participating in a structured innovation challenge for the first time, learn how to navigate problems, communicate clearly, and make decisions with impact.
“They’re not just building prototypes,” Zanele said. “They’re building confidence, skills, and a sense of purpose.” Run by Samsung and supported by employees who step into mentorship roles each year, Solve for Tomorrow is showing how real change begins – with young people, a guiding hand, and the right tools to imagine something better. – @NewsSA_Online
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