Design For Good is with our next generation of designers, children! In collaboration with Beyond Social Services (BSS), the Sondering Slate team held a Digital Arts For All (DAFA) workshop, Draw & Digitise It!, for the children at Henderson Road!
A week prior to the session, our team went down to Henderson Road to conduct door knocking and publicise the event. We were pleasantly welcomed by the residents in the area as we went from door to door, introducing our workshop and inviting them to join us. There were many that showed interest and signed up and it got us excited for what is to come on the actual day.
Fast forward to a week later, it was D-Day!
The session started off with a mini-ice breaker where we introduce each other and to our surprise, the kids already knew one another and some were even best friends. What a true kampung spirit they had! Afterwhich, we kick started our workshop with a short yet enriching media literacy class where we taught the children the 3 key steps to a safer online space: Be Safe, Be Smart and Be Kind! The children were an enthusiastic bunch to teach as they listened attentively and participated actively. Who says classroom teaching has to always be boring?
What’s next got the children at the edge of their seats; it was hands-on time! The children could no longer hide their excitement as we passed around the iPads and prepare them for the next segment of the workshop: Digital Arts! As a warm-up activity, we tasked them to draw their favourite animals and within a few minutes, they were done! The children were quick to pick up the different techniques and honestly, it was heartwarming to see them having so much passion and eagerness to learn new things. They were constantly asking questions and there were many ‘What’s next?’ And... what really came next was tracing! We got the children to share with us their favourite cartoon character and after which, we tasked them to trace it out. There were a variety of characters from animes to spongebob and even baby sharks. Now, that really emphasised on the generation gap ohnos!
As a special added element to Draw & Digitise It!, we had clay modeling time. The children were really fast learners because in a blink of an eye, they had clay models such as elephants and buildings modelled out. They were so quick that the clay ran out in minutes and some children just could not get their hands on them. It was a real sticky yet precious time spent!
And... sadly, all the good times have to come to an end. The session wrapped up with our handmade goodie bag and we hope every child will be inspired to create their own unique moment wearing our exclusive Sondering Slate shirts! The interactions during this Draw & Digitise It! has been truly heartening and rewarding as we look forward to seeing them again. Till then, have fun and stay creative kiddos!