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?
This year, under the sponsorship of Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PMQ will continue partnering 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.
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.
With a series of engaging, thematic classes, the creative summer day-camp is targeted at local students from P3 to P6.
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.
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.
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.
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.
