What if team building encouraged people to step away from their desks and rediscover Gibraltar together?

That is the idea behind Hidden Gems, one of this year’s Young Enterprise Gibraltar teams. Created by a group of students balancing school life with entrepreneurship, the concept transforms Gibraltar into a self-guided interactive experience designed to help people uncover overlooked locations, complete challenges, and connect in a more engaging way.

While the project began as a way to encourage tourists and locals to explore beyond Gibraltar’s usual hotspots, the team quickly recognised its potential for businesses looking for fresh approaches to employee engagement and team building.

We caught up with the team to learn more about the inspiration behind Hidden Gems, the lessons they have learned through Young Enterprise, and why they believe Gibraltar can become part of the workplace experience.

What is Hidden Gems?
Hidden Gems is a set of self-guided walking routes designed to help people explore Gibraltar beyond the usual tourist spots. Most visitors, and even many locals, only experience a small part of what Gibraltar has to offer, often without understanding the history or significance of the places around them.
We wanted to create something that makes it easier to discover those overlooked locations in a more engaging way. It is designed to be simple to use and accessible for both tourists and locals looking to explore more of Gibraltar at their own pace.

What makes Hidden Gems different from a traditional walking tour?
Unlike a traditional walking tour, Hidden Gems is fully self-guided, meaning there’s no schedule and people can explore in their own time, at their own pace.
It’s also more interactive, encouraging users to actively engage with locations rather than just pass through them. Along the way, they complete simple challenges and discover parts of Gibraltar they might normally walk past without noticing.
At the end of the route, users can redeem points, or “gems”, for discounts with local businesses, which adds a small reward element to the experience.

How could businesses use Hidden Gems for team building?
Businesses can use Hidden Gems as a team-building activity by having groups complete a route together.
Instead of a standard office activity, it gives teams a shared challenge where they explore, make decisions, and interact with each other in a more relaxed and engaging environment.
It works particularly well because it takes people outside of a typical workplace setting and turns Gibraltar into part of the experience. It creates a more informal and enjoyable way for teams to bond while experiencing the Rock.

Who do you think would benefit most from the experience?
Hidden Gems works particularly well for small to medium-sized teams looking for something informal but engaging. That could include offices, startups, or even school groups.
Anyone looking for a team activity that’s different from the usual options would benefit. It’s especially useful for teams who want something more interactive than a traditional meeting or workshop.

How does the experience actually work?
Users choose a route, follow it at their own pace, and visit a series of locations across Gibraltar.
At each stop, they learn something new or complete a small challenge, which makes the experience more interactive. Once they finish, they gain gems and can unlock rewards with selected local businesses, which adds an extra incentive to complete the route.

What have you learned through the Young Enterprise experience?
We’ve learned that ideas only work if people actually understand them quickly and see value in using them. As a team of nine members, we’ve had to divide responsibilities and figure out how to work effectively together under time pressure while also balancing school alongside the project.
It hasn’t always been perfectly smooth, but that has helped us improve how we communicate and make decisions as a group. A lot of what we’ve learned has come from real feedback and seeing how people respond when they actually use the routes. We’ve also had our fair share of disagreements along the way, but as a team we’ve grown and improved how we work together.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?
I’d say our biggest challenge has been time management. As students, we all have schoolwork and other commitments, so finding consistent time to work on our project hasn’t always been easy.
On top of that, in the early stages we did have some disagreements as we were still figuring out how to work together as a team, which did slow us down at times. However, over time we’ve improved how we communicate and now work much more effectively together. Despite these challenges, we’ve managed to stay on track and continue developing the business alongside school.

How has Young Enterprise changed your view of entrepreneurship?
Young Enterprise has given us a much clearer understanding of what goes into building something from scratch. It’s shown us the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and actually putting ideas into action rather than just planning them. It has also shown us how much coordination and effort is needed behind the scenes to turn an idea into something real.

What would you say to businesses considering Hidden Gems?
If a business is looking for a different kind of team activity or a way to engage employees outside the usual setting, Hidden Gems is a great option. We’re also open to collaborating with local businesses as part of the experience, so there are opportunities to get involved in different ways. It offers a simple way to connect with people who are actively exploring Gibraltar.

What’s next for Hidden Gems?
We’re currently focused on growing Hidden Gems locally by increasing awareness and building partnerships with local businesses. We’re focused on getting more people actively using the routes and improving the experience based on real feedback. Long term, we see the concept as scalable, since “hidden gems” exist in every location, in every country. While we’re currently focused on Gibraltar, the idea could be adapted to other places in the future.

Find out more at https://hiddengemsye.com/
Team Members: Maisie Andlaw, Lucia Hernandez, Nooran Tizniti, Sylvia Ody, Sophie Crosskey, Charlie Savignon, Marcus Martinez, Victor Bering, Neina Cantrell