GEINNOVA organised through the SCALE funded Erasmus+ project a piloting activity at the ‘Colegio San Vicente de Paúl’ on 15/03/2023. The activity plan was developed and implemented by Geinnova’s staff, consisting of Micol Petrone, Michela Orrù and Alessandro Marconi. The target group was a class of 20 students aged around 12, supported by their English teacher Carmen Pinilla.

The program of activities was developed by combining the principles of ACLs and the theme of climate change. Applied Creativity Labs (ACLs) equip children and young people with the creative behaviors and thinking skills needed in order to develop innovative solutions to real world challenges. Young people are presented with an overview of a real world ‘challenge’ (ie. Climate change) and then receive bespoke creativity training, which builds their creative capacity to generate solutions.

Creative skills are essential for life, learning and future work: they are highly valued by employers and international organizations such as the World Economic Forum, as they develop positive attitudes, flexibility and openness to new challenges. Additional employability skills are developed such as teamwork, communication, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving. These skills enable young people to be successful in their learning and future careers.

During the ACL implementation in SPAIN, Geinnova’s team worked with young students aged 12 starting with an icebreaker activity called “bish, bosh, what are you doing?”

Then, GEINNOVA staff showed a presentation on climate change, its effects and consequences; supplemented by an overview of ACLs methodologies. The games supplied as ACLs activity combined to the climate change topic were:

– Quiz about climate change

– If climate change was an animal

– If climate change’s solution was an animal

– I don’t like your idea

– Recycling

The recycling activity consisted of using empty plastic bottles in order to create plant pots. To stimulate students’ creativity, they were also provided with materials to decorate the pots. The plants chosen to be grown were lentils, grown in cotton balls. The choice is justified by the fact that these seedlings will need daily care, so as to empower the students.

The main objective of ACLs is the creative problem-solving process, following some steps: 

– Clarify the task

– Think divergently

– Choose an idea

– Think convergently

– Do it in practice

– Refine and improve

– Present

– Review the process

Students embraced the project and activities with enthusiasm, actively participating and practicing the methodologies administered. The result was a good 3-hour lesson on climate change, which allowed the class to think actively and critically about the topic.