From July 30th to August 3rd, fifteen representative kids of saigonchilren have a chance to create their own ideal city through “Children innovate: A smart and child-friendly city,” an event hosted by Arkki School of Architecture for Children and Youth (Arkki School), UNICEF organization, Saigon Innovation Hub organization, and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture.
The “Children innovate” summer camp is a creative program from Finland, as part of UNICEF’s global “Child Friendly City” Initiative. The project has been deployed with about twenty thousand children from more than twenty countries. Vietnam became the first Southeast Asian country to join the Arkki international system with a series of eleven one-week pilot courses kickstarted in July 2018.
During the five days of the “Children innovate,” campers from eight to twelve years old learn and plan the urban area of Thu Thiem in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. The children can gain skills and experience in architecture by surveying topography, designing, developing, and presenting their ideas. The final projects are displayed at the closing ceremony of the summer camp on August 3rd, 2018.
<With the mission of providing a vital 21st-century skill set through a friendly educational environment, “Children innovate” promises to equip youths with useful knowledge as well as critical skills such as logic, innovation, and teamwork. Moreover, the practicality of the project is a source of inspiration for the saigonchildren young adults about a dream city in near future>