NewTechKids is honoured to have kicked off the second edition of a Maker education initiative in Amsterdam called ‘Plusklas voor Elk Kind’ (Gifted Class for Every Child).
Spearheaded by the Mokum Maakcoalitie, a group of maker education organizations led by the Amsterdam Public Library and its Maakplaats021 team, the initiative provides all students in groups 5, 6 and 7 at the Burgemeester de Vlugtschool with a year of Maker classes.
This school is located in Amsterdam Nieuw West, a low-income community with a high immigrant population so this initiative is playing a key role in bringing 21st century knowledge and skills to children who would not normally have exposure.
The initiative kicked off with a series of ‘Try It Out’ workshops on March 9th to familiarize students with the participating organizations and the maker processes they use.
The first six lessons are NewTechKids’ popular robotics and coding challenges and will be followed by classes in filmmaking, visual arts, designing with cardboard, and design thinking-based prototyping.
The initiative is supported by the Nieuw West office of the City of Amsterdam and involves the following organizations: Cinekid, Designathon Works, Cultura Nederland, The Beach and of course, NewTechKids.