Using Play and Imagination to Engage Active Citizenship with Zviko Kanyoka

What does a design thinking program for children look like? Let’s find out! In this episode of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood welcome Zviko Kanyoka, a Project Manager for placemaking programs at Play Africa. Zviko is currently preparing to scale Play Africa's Design Thinking with Children programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering children with creative skills by encouraging active citizenship within their communities. Listen in to learn how Zviko’s background in architecture inspires her curriculum design and her work with children in the classroom. She sheds light on how children can actively participate in designing their learning environment along with the opportunity educators have to create workshops for learning creative skills, communication skills, spatial awareness and connectivity, problem-solving, and much more! Zviko talks about methods of teaching kids about climate change and environmental conservation, the most important part of engaging children in your community, and the importance of having the freedom to play as a child, especially within African communities.   “To value play is to value our imagination, to value our creativity, and continually entertaining the idea that we always have an option to create new models of being.” – Zviko Kanyoka   Plus, you’ll learn how Play Africa’s Design Thinking with Children program is making a direct impact on their communities and her strategy for scaling and expanding the program.   “We’re centering children’s varied experiences, feelings, and needs and we’re helping learn how to identify social challenges and creative problem solve through ideating, prototyping, and testing possible solutions for safer and more playful communities.” – Zviko Kanyoka Zviko’s Design Thinking with Children Workshop Framework:  Transfer your workshop from the school to a communal workspace in your community, like a library. Familiarize your students to the environment and have them think of ways they would transform the space. Get your students to ideate, draw, and visualize ideas for transformation they want to see in those spaces.  Encourage them to gather materials, then have a session for prototyping their transformations.   Recommended Resources: Listen to the episode with Tamara Doleman Listen to the episode with Dr. Vlad Glaveanu Play Africa Toolkit   Subscribe to our monthly newsletter!   Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom?  Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.   What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education?  Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school?  Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom.    Have a question? Email Dr. Burnett and Dr. Worwood at [email protected]!   You can also find The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and PodBean! Make sure to rate, review, and share the podcast if you enjoy it!   About Zviko Kanyoka: Zviko Kanyoka is a Project Manager for placemaking programmes at Play Africa with a background in architecture. Her work is driven by her passion for supporting children’s creative expression and right to the city through participatory development. She's currently preparing to scale Play Africa's Design Thinking with Children programme across Sub-Saharan Africa, empowering children with creative skills through encouraging their active citizenship within their communities.   Follow Zviko on Instagram