Empathy is the beginning step of human-centered design thinking, as well as the most important step. Through empathy, we learn to understand ourselves, others, things, and the world; through empathetic communication and reconnection, we discover the world through different individual’s eyes.

 

In light of a global pandemic and ubiquitous natural disasters, the fraught line between city and nature is increasingly blurred. While grown-ups and children are aware of the health crises faced by both the earth and humans, our relationship with nature seems only to grow distant by the day.

 

Humans have found infinite possibilities with the advancement of technology, and yet urban life is tightening the bounds of children’s physical and psychological experiences. As facets of reality become fragmented concepts, empathy will be the key to our rediscovery of intentional living.

 

The ways in which our young ones respond to nature will shape the forms of future city and family life. How can designers inspire the next generation to empathise, think, experience, and create solutions for a better and more empathetic world?

 

In 2021, under the sponsorship of Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PMQ continued to partner with a variety of creative and educational teams to present five programmes: “Summer Camp”, “School Outreach”, “Mini-camp”, “Creative Festival” and “Train the Trainer”. Through a series of experiences and activities, we will explore the power of creativity together with the children aged 3 to 12, parents, and educators.

 

Visit the individual page of each programme for more details:

 

GREEN & ME Train the Trainer Workshop

• Covering areas including the application of design thinking, child psychology and environmental education, the Workshop hopes to encourage participants to use relevant knowledge to promote creative education in a daily classroom setting.

 

GREEN & ME Summer Camp

• With a series of engaging, thematic classes, the creative summer day-camp is targeted at local students from P3 to P6.

 

GREEN & ME Mini-camp

• Tailored for children from age 5 to 8 and their parents, the Mini-camp aims to introduce “empathy” to its participants through playful and sensory learning experiences.

 

GREEN & ME Creative Festival

• The 9-day Creative Festival will feature an array of activities including creative workshops and sharing sessions. Teachers, educators, parents and children aged 3 to 12 are all welcome to participate.

 

GREEN & ME School Outreach

• All teachers and students are welcome. The School Outreach programme aims to cultivate P3 to P6 students’ motivation in learning through daily observation and reflection.

 

GREEN & ME School Outreach Exhibition

• The exhibition documents the creative journey of the students as it details the results of their environmental observation exercise, data analysis and empathy-driven problem identification during the programme to the sketches and production process of their design work, including their final presentation.

 

 

Participating schools (in no particular order)

(GREEN & ME Summer Camp)

PLK Siu Hon Sum Primary School

Mary of Providence Primary School

SKH Yuen Chen Maun Chen Jubilee Primary School

PLK Leung Chow Shun Kam Primary School

SKH St. Thomas’ Primary School

Holy Family School

 

(GREEN & ME School Outreach)

PLK Tin Ka Ping Millennium Primary School

Tung Koon District Society Fong Shu Chuen School

Yan Tak Catholic Primary School

TWGHs Shui Chuen O Primary School

Baptist Lui Ming Choi Primary School

Canossa Primary School

Methodist School

Tung Tak School