Trash to treasure Academy

Overview

This innovative educational program aimed to nurture empathy, creativity, and problem-solving skills in children through a unique approach that combines social awareness with technological innovation.

Main objectives

❋ Designing and creating an “empathy handbook” for children

❋ Developing a methodology for observing and identifying problems in their immediate environment

❋ Conducting workshops on prototyping technological solutions aimed at solving identified problems

❋ Introducing the concept of up-cycling and using waste in the creative process

Achieved effects

❋ Enhanced Empathy: Workshop attendees demonstrated increased sensitivity to other people’s problems, showing a deeper understanding of issues affecting their community

❋ Innovative Prototyping: children created a range of inventive prototypes, including: monitored paddock for a hamster, dog bark translation collar, drone for carrying a heavy backpack, smog suction device, teleportation device

❋ Upcycling Skills: Participants learned and implemented creative ways to use waste materials in their design process, embracing the concept of upcycling

❋ Environmental Awareness: The workshop fostered increased ecological consciousness among the young inventors, encouraging them to consider environmental impact in their designs

❋ Critical Thinking Development: Children honed their observation skills, problem analysis abilities, and solution design capabilities throughout the program

Main reflection

This project was like a box of chocolates – I never knew what the kids would pull out of it.

Watching how these little inventors transitioned from empathy to action was fascinating. I was particularly charmed by how easily they switched from thinking “I’ll buy new” to “I’ll look at home what I have and re-use it”.

It shows that creativity and care for others can go hand in hand with a responsible approach to resources.

Perhaps it’s these kids who will figure out how to teleport us to a world where every piece of waste is a treasure, and every problem has a solution – preferably one that can be built from an old bottle and a few cables.