Inclusive STEAM workshops

Analogue to Digital – Inclusive STEAM Workshop

Our inclusive workshops are ‘flexible’ and vary in terms of the creative and digital processes included within the programme.

We work with a variety of experienced partners in the creative and digital fields. With the aim to create an immersive and enjoyable experience for everyone.

Analogue and Digital community partners, also hold experience in a variety ‘Girls in STEAM’ workshops.

The Analogue to Digital workshops are available to Schools, Educators and Community partners. If you are interested implementing a workshop, please contact us.

Inclusive Children’s Workshop – The Process

Analogue to Digital launched the pilot workshop on the 26th of October. With 20 children participating and all co-creating, playing, experiencing and having fun together. Enjoying an immersive, sensory stimulating, fun workshop.

Harris Spinnoy, the Special Needs son of Rozina Spinnoy inspired this project. Co-designing and creating this project with Harris and his friends and sibling. Placing children at the heart of this inclusive project that creates a social impact.

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The workshop took place in the centre of Brussels during a school day. With our strategic pilot workshop partners of Muntpunt. With whom we shared our project at the start of 2017. This established a trusted relationship with Arnout Wouters, of Muntpunt. We are grateful to Arnout and his team, for the belief and trust in this project. Along, with the mention of Robot Zohra, who showed us Robot’s can dance and have fun!

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The process and research was already a year in the making and started in mid 2016. We had contact with Anne Peeters of Erasmushogeschool Brussels during this time. We had visited the inspiring environment, of one of the first ‘Fab Labs’ in Brussels.

Experiencing first hand, the process of 3D printing. We spoke, with exchanging views on inclusion of Special Needs children in community as a whole. Erasmushogeschool supported our pilot workshop. Offering to assist with their current Student, Cedric. Helping children with the conductive paints process. The experiments of linking the creativity aspect with the Digital. Supplies offered by our Partners, Cheryl Miller of Digital Leadership Institute. Cheryl kindly spent time with us, showing us the possibilities with the conductive paints. It was a perfect link of creativity linking to digital to include within our workshop.

Our wonderful supportive Partners of Fais le Toi Meme and Elise Boon came on board, in early Summer. Exchanging thoughts on the visual cards and interactive word plays. Continuing our relationship into 2018 with potential project collaborations.

Continously, observing, learning, experiencing and networking with the extended community of active partners. Leading to more joining us on this journey. Including Gluon STEAM Labs, with attending our co-creation meetings at Munpunt. Finding synergies that will continue and form a basis for a continued partnership. Wim and Caroline joined us for the workshop. With their digital input of AR, VR and iPad games, which the children experienced, most for the first time.

Late Summer, seen us develop the partnership with Nicolas Usuwel of Unic-3D. Nicolas, facilitated the afternoon sessions of teaching 3D modelling. Resulting in all children learning, creating and designing a 3D printed name tag. Each child received this around 3 weeks after the class. All children were incredibly proud of this achievement.

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Forming collaborations with fellow Social Entrepreneur and Designer, Nik Lippens. Nik is from Give a Day and ‘Way to Go’ projects. We met in August and enjoyed conversations over our shared vision, of ‘re-designing education’ and community. This partnership will continue to flourish and continue. Offering to step in and co-facilitate the workshop. Contributing with visual storytelling. With the ‘bus story’ and the characters he designed and ‘piloted’ for his young son. Kristel Binnenmans, also co-facilitated and is a trusted

partner. An Educational specialist, working with Children with Autism and Special Needs in in Gael. We will continue to share and work with Kristel in 2018.

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Be Central also offered support. Offering to showcase our project at their official Open Day on October 25th. An amazing central location. The Digital community in Brussels reached out to be open for further collaborations. Along with other locations, Digityser is also open to collaborate for further projects. Being open to support community projects with schools, children and education.

Autism Europe are also our partners. We are members of this organisation and they kindly offered to be our ‘dissemination partners’ from their Brussels office. Many organisations and individuals, within our eco-system and our extended network give moral support us. Such as Transforma bxls, MPathy Studio, CIN, along with many more.

A667D9A6-BCC3-4C4F-A36D-9861BE53BBB2 The day’s creativity, has been with a variety of media and illustrations recorded. With the talents of Miguel Magalhaes, the visual illustrator. Creating an amazing room width mural, that children interacted and contributed to. Miguel kindly offered this incredible mural to the project. The ‘menu’ visual programme for the school’s drawn by Sabine Allaeys of Flow. The heartfelt personal video film of the day. The first edition showing the workshop and children. Along with passion the inspiration created by video maker, talent of Nico Forero.

Muntpunt, provided the wonderful location. They were incremental in helping us receive the support and funding for this first pilot. Linking the project with Brussels State Secretary, Bianca Debaets cabinet. For sponsorship and funding. which we are grateful. This sponsorship allowed us to continue with our ‘proof of concept’. Also to support all the contributors on the day.

This concept was also supported and subsequently validated, by two participating schools. Schools, that were open to share our vision and allow the 20 children to participate in this incredible project. The Unescoschool Koekelberg Basisschool and the Director Mr Guray Turkistan supports our vision. Along with the school’s ICT responsible Mr Wouter Janssen. Kasterlinden – School voor Buitengewoon also share that vision. With the Director, Nathalie Dekeyser and her staff Kristien Vanderslagmolen and Emma Dedobbeleer. Who happens to be Harris’ class Teacher, all a crucial support for our project.

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The concept encourages critical thinking, interactive creative play. Developing gradually into the digital world of virtual and augmented reality. With games such as minecraft. Learning and creating with 3D modelling, will continue into 2018.

We prepared a video of the day. Along with the story that inspired this first workshop and programme. We hope you enjoy watching it. We wrote a blog about this post on the Belgium Design Council earlier this year, in May 2017. Here is an extract of the blog:

“Over the year, we have been developing this project in Brussels, with one of our central city and Community based Libraries – Muntpunt. Also, with the development of our sister organisation of BIDs Belgium. It seemed only natural to further develop this and co-design this project with children, while reaching out to other potential partners.

We have reached out to a number of collaborators ranging from Fablabs to Technology firms for our ‘Analogue to Digital’ project. With encouraging the Community to come together, from Parents, Care-givers, Teachers, Medical Professionals to join in with the pilot workshop to be held at Muntpunt”

The outcome was amazing. The children had an incredible day. As did the Teachers. This is the start of an incredible journey. What we believed from the start to be an important element of ‘Re-designing Education’.