INNOVATION NEWS BY BRILLIANT LABS

December 2025

In this December edition of InnovationNews, we’re sharing highlights from the Brilliant Learning & Teaching Frontiers Retreat and introducing the b.Board, our Canadian-made prototyping tool now available for pre-order. You’ll also find highlights from activities across New Brunswick and Newfoundland & Labrador.

As we pause for winter and prepare to return with new programming in January, we’re already looking ahead to the Brilliant Blue National Challenge 2026, launching this April. We invite students across Canada to collaborate and design innovative solutions for ocean sustainability.

We extend our thanks to our educators, partners, and supporters, including the Government of Canada through the CanCode program and wish everyone a joyful holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year.

This April, the Brilliant Blue National Challenge returns to bring together youth from across Canada to tackle real-world ocean challenges through creativity, technology, and teamwork.

Students will collaborate to design innovative solutions linked to 3 key categories such as Marine Renewable Energy, Marine Autonomous Systems and Healthy Marine Life, building the skills needed for the future while addressing one of our planet’s most critical environments.

The Challenge empowers young innovators to think critically, work in teams, and transform ideas into actionable concepts that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Canada’s growing Blue Economy.

Stay tuned for full program details, participation guidelines, and upcoming workshop opportunities.

Let’s inspire the next generation of ocean changemakers together.

From November 16–18, 2025, educators, facilitators, and partners came together for three days of hands-on learning, collaboration, and inspiration. The retreat featured engaging keynotes from several thought leaders, including Roberto Gauvin, whose session Creating Conditions for Innovation encouraged participants to foster creativity, collaboration, and bold thinking in their classrooms. Each keynote sparked reflection and conversation around new approaches to teaching and learning.

Participants immersed themselves in a wide variety of workshops and activities, exploring coding and micro:bit projects, robotics, soldering, biomaking with bioplastics, felting, 3D printing, b.Board prototyping, and team-building challenges such as Escape Cubes and interactive balloon exercises. Throughout these sessions, educators collaborated in teams, shared ideas, prototyped solutions, and experimented with innovative strategies to bring real-world concepts into the classroom.

Following the retreat, Roberto Gauvin prepared a practical resource for educators: “12 Innovation Ideas I Wish I Had Known at the Start of My Career”, a PDF featuring QR codes linking to tools and resources designed to help teachers bring innovation to life.

We’re grateful to all participants, facilitators, and team members who joined us in person or supported the retreat behind the scenes! Your energy and dedication are what make these experiences truly impactful.

We marked an exciting milestone with the continued growth of the b.Board, our Canadian-made open-source prototyping platform created to help learners turn curiosity into action. 

Built to work seamlessly with the BBC micro:bit, the b.Board empowers students to design, build, code, and invent through hands-on projects that explore robotics, IoT, engineering, data collection, and interactive technologies.

From simple introductory coding activities to complex problem-solving challenges tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the b.Board supports learners at every skill level, whether in classrooms, makerspaces, or community programs. Its flexibility allows educators to adapt activities for elementary, middle, and high school students, making innovation accessible to all.

The b.Board and classroom kits are now available for pre-order, giving schools and families the opportunity to bring authentic, hands-on STEAM learning into their learning spaces.

Make innovation part of your classroom or makerspace this winter.

Support Brilliant Labs in empowering youth through hands-on learning, creativity, and innovation! We provide students with tools and opportunities to solve real-world challenges, integrating technology and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to inspire the next generation of leaders, scientists, and entrepreneurs.

 

Your donation helps bring sustainable, experiential education to classrooms and communities, fostering skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Together, we can create a brighter, more innovative future.

 

Donate today to make a difference by clicking here.

DONATE MENTOR VOLUNTEER CONNECT

This December, a beloved Newfoundland tradition became a powerful learning opportunity for young creators. At the 3rd Annual Trinity Hall Christmas Show in Winterton, NL, youth photographer Erin Blundon worked alongside media mentor Scott Legge as part of the Brilliant Labs Youth Media program, documenting live performances across sold-out shows, community events, and even a televised broadcast on NTV.

 

For Erin, and other youth creators like Cameron Bursey, these experiences go far beyond the classroom. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with industry professionals, they learn how to operate in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, capturing real moments, collaborating with artists, navigating complex lighting and stage conditions, and discovering what it truly means to tell stories through image and film.

 

This is the heart of the Brilliant Labs approach: learning doesn’t happen only in theory, it happens inside real experiences, real communities and real creative industries.

 

Discover how creativity, mentorship, and community come together to shape the next generation of storytellers:

Grace, a Grade 11 student at St. Malachy’s High School in Saint John, NB, continues to inspire youth across Canada through her 17 by Seventeen Challenge, a movement encouraging young people to take action on all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) before their 17th birthday with the support of her teacher Mrs. Natasha Peddle. 

 

Her initiative has grown into a national network, with student representatives now leading 17 by Seventeen projects in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Grace is also preparing to launch an after school wellness session for middle-school girls and girl-identifying youth in Saint John, helping younger students build confidence and explore how they can make a difference.

 

Her work recently drew attention at the UNESCO School Summit, where a representative from United Colours of Fashion (UCoF) praised her project as a powerful example of youth-led action. There is early discussion within the UNESCO Schools community about how Grace’s initiative might be shared more widely, hinting at exciting global opportunities ahead.

 

Teachers and youth leaders: Students of any age can join the 17 by Seventeen Challenge.

 

Every action toward the SDGs counts. #17by17

We want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made 2025 such a meaningful year for Brilliant Labs, our educators, students, families, community partners, facilitators, volunteers, and supporters.

From classroom workshops, Summer Camp and After School programs across Atlantic Canada, to major gatherings like the Brilliant Learning & Teaching Frontiers: Retreat, and the creativity sparked through the Brilliant Blue Challenge, this year has been filled with collaboration, innovation, and hands-on learning.

Every session, conversation, and project helped move us closer to our mission: empowering young people to create, innovate, and shape a more sustainable future.

We are especially grateful for the continued support of the Government of Canada through the CanCode program, helping us expand access to technology and digital skills for youth across our region.

As the holidays approach, we wish our entire community a season filled with rest, joy, and inspiration. Thank you for being part of our journey in 2025, we can’t wait to continue building, learning, and innovating together in the new year.

Happy Holidays and Warm Wishes for a Brilliant 2026!