Last week, Kim and Fiona hit the road to see The B!G Idea mentoring programme in action across Ireland. Over three days, they visited schools from Newcastle West and Dungarvan all the way up to Louth. Along the way, they dropped into classrooms to meet teachers and students, film the programme in action, and capture the real impact of mentor feedback.
What they discovered was powerful: mentor engagement is one of the biggest motivating factors for students.
Throughout the trip, one theme came up again and again — students are deeply motivated when industry mentors take the time to review their work.
Every teacher interviewed highlighted mentor feedback as a pivotal moment in the programme. In fact, one teacher explained that students were amazed that “real people” had reviewed their ideas. For many, that validation made their projects feel important.
One student even admitted he checked his mentor’s bio and company website to make sure they were real!
Clearly, visibility from mentors adds credibility, confidence and excitement to the creative process.
Equally important was student ownership.
Because students choose their own brief, lead their research, and connect directly with mentors, they feel genuinely responsible for their ideas. As a result, engagement levels in the classroom were high, and the energy was unmistakable.
When asked what skills they developed, students immediately mentioned:
Several students shared that they now feel more confident speaking in groups. Others recognised leadership skills they didn’t realise they had before the programme.
One particularly powerful moment came from a student working on the Mental Health brief.
She explained that creating a “Persona” or “Hero” allowed her to explore her own experiences in a safe and structured way. Through research and group discussion, she gained confidence and opened up in ways she hadn’t before.
This highlights something important. The creative process does more than develop technical skills. It also builds empathy, resilience and emotional awareness.
For another student, the programme completely shifted his thinking.
Before starting The B!G Idea, he admitted he “wasn’t really bothered” about Climate Change. However, after researching the topic and developing solutions with his team, he realised that he had both responsibility and agency.
In his words, “If I care, I can change things.”
That journey — from indifference to empowerment — is exactly what creative education aims to achieve.
Overall, the road trip confirmed something we already believed: mentoring in education matters.
When students receive meaningful feedback from professionals, they:
Moreover, teachers consistently emphasised how valuable mentor visibility is throughout the programme.
Above all, the visit reinforced how The B!G Idea engages young people to:
The classrooms were buzzing with energy, ideas and ambition. And perhaps most importantly, students were proud of their thinking.
