On the 25th of March, Sky Hub Smolyan welcomed 25 children to participate in the city’s first Designathon, part of the Global Children Design Marathon (Global Children Designathon). The event was organized by Community centre “Future now” in partnership with the Municipality of Smolyan as part of the initiative Next generation Smart Citizen.
Global Children Designathon is an annual event, which uses design and hands-on learning to encourage students from all over the world to think creatively about the issues related to the SDGs. The topic of this year events was Restoring Biodiversity, encompassing SDGs 4, 11, 13, 14 and 15.
The Designathon method is a unique and effective method for developing thinking and communication skills in children (aged 7-12), such as creative and critical thinking, technological literacy, empathy and cooperation. Children work in small teams to come up with creative solutions to real-world problems. During the design marathon, they brainstorm ideas and create prototypes using materials ranging from cardboard and glue to sensors and other electronic components. Children work with special construction kits and take on the role of real designers of the environment in solving the problems of the modern world. During the event, a thinking methodology that develops functional literacy is used.
8 teams participated in the Designathon Smolyan 2023. They had the opportunity to present their solutions and exchange ideas with teams from South Africa (via teleconference). The solutions created included a machine for underground watering, a forest reserve for European fallow deer, conservation nurseries for local rare species, and a conservation project for the bees’ population.
See the news post in Bulgarian on the Smolyan municipal website here.
