Vygotsky found that there is a specific area between the tasks children are already mastering, and those skills they still aim to achieve. A theory by Lev Vygotsky, the Zone of Proximal Development, tells us further that people learn best from their peers as they can better understand their perspective. The Zone of Proximal Development - learning through mentoringĭon’t underestimate the idea of learning through teaching! Empowerment is a way of growing naturally, and this happens best in groups. Also, anyone who is striving for personal growth has probably noticed some resistance when trying to come up with a creative solution for a problem. The question of how to provide an environment for creativity and empowerment poses a challenge for everyone organising a workshop in the creative field or leading a group of people in the workplace. It is crucial to understand that everyone has talent and creativity, and it’s up to the person facilitating the workshop to display a high sensitivity and openness. In my work at HacKIDemia, I have come to discover that people in different environments grow up with different degrees of freedom. As we grow up, many of us have negative experiences over the years, and adults need to first unlearn their fears and internalized limitations before they can be truly creative. One of the most inspiring things in life is kids’ curiosity, playfulness and fearlessness to explore and experiment. This shows me the limitations of a simplified understanding of empowerment. When I offer the exact same workshop to adults, I notice that they are always waiting to receive instructions, and that they often reproduce the model of a standard microscope. I am always surprised to see with what the children come up with while designing the microscope box and zoom mechanism: Colourful shapes and designs for the camera box the most unusual materials like straws and plastic cups for the zoom mechanism. One of the workshops we organise for kids is transforming an old webcam into a microscope (instructions here). What we can learn from Kids - the €2 microscope and the power of play Having new ideas, and most importantly feeling that it is possible to shape and reimagine the world around oneself, is the moment of empowerment. At HacKIDemia, we enable our participants, young and old, to get new perspectives on the objects and problems in their immediate environment through prototyping. As it turns out, we humans can think with our hands pretty well.

Aha moments laura