Hi there - my team came third in the New Zealand national finals and we competed in the international finals when I was in my last year of high school.

Future Problem Solving (FPS) is essentially a case competition where you analyze a futuristic scenario using a multi-step process, which involves identifying problems, recognizing the underlying problem, coming up with a variety of solutions, creating and applying a criteria to choose the best solution, and finally elaborating on the best solution with an action plan. Key things you are assessed on are how relevant the problems you identify are to the scenario, and the creativity of your solutions. The time limit that all of this has to be completed in can be intense, but it’s a great way to learn about and apply a problem solving framework, and has applications outside of the competition. You can compete either as an individual or as a team of 4.

If it’s not offered at your school, I would recommend finding a teacher to be your mentor/coach and get in touch with FPS (http://www.fpspi.org/FindAD.html). This is also a perfect opportunity to show initiative and bring the program to your school!