I Can Innovate Workshop Series

Summary

“Globalization brings highly complex and integrated world.  It requires all of us especially next generation to understand complexity, otherness and presentence of creativity. “ Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister pointed out in 2014 Harvard China Education Symposium.

The I Can Innovate Workshop Series (ICI) is designed to prepare youth to be global citizens and leaders who success in future complex and integrated world through our integrated social innovation training in immersive, collaborative and transformative settings.

Each workshop is designed to integrate leadership training developed by experts in the topic domain with novel robotic teaching.  Combining information lectures, hands-on activities, games, talent sharing, guided group discussion and mentorship, workshop participants have the opportunity not only to gain exposure to new techniques, but also to build confidence in innovation, enhance conflict management, develop public communication and facilitation skill.

Workshops

The 2014 ICI Series mainly includes following workshops:

I can innovate (I-IV)

Quickly adopting and applying knowledge in creative way become essential to success in almost any discipline in the fast changing world. This workshop aims to help participants discover their own creative confidence – come up with new ideas, overcome fears of messy unknown and try them out.  They start the day by learning sensors and actuations in an unpopular robotic kit.  Then they are challenged to apply the knowledge just learned to build products that they use daily.  Finally we guide them to design and create their own motion products.

Public Narratives in Innovation (I-II)

In this workshop, participants have an opportunity to learn the Public Narrative methodology developed by Harvard Professor Marshall Ganz.   Through storytelling, participants not only learn to improve their effective public communication techniques, but also gain self-awareness and others’ awareness.  Furthermore, the ability of understanding self and others will help them create positive elements in the society together with others. We prepare our participants to be collaborative innovators.

Conflict Management in Innovation

School shootings and bullies have raised worries of safe learning environment.  In this workshop, participants learn to understand, manage and resolve conflict and disagreement through experimental learning that we put together in the combination of games and guided discussion that reflects their team innovation activities.

Facilitate a discussion in Innovation 

The world today is so complex that many times finding a solution and making right decision are not easy.  This workshop directs participants to go through a collaborating process in exploration and development of values from concerns, possibilities to address the concerns, possible implementations, and consequences of actions taken.   We help participants to think critically, ask the right “why”, and integrate possible solutions together to make right choices.

Scheduled Workshops