Sunday, 15.09.2019,
̈Creativity in Focus ̈ – Explosion of creativity in Cluj.
A premiere in Romania
For a long time, creativity was considered an important factor only for a small category of professionals. However, today, creativity has become an essential element in many areas of activity and working life. From the moment it was demonstrated that creativity can be trained, cultivating creative thinking has become an important task of the school.
The development of children’s creativity is a permanent concern for our schools, and one of these extraordinary schools is Transylvania College in Cluj-Napoca. The school has hosted 140 children from Cluj-Napoca, Turda, Băișoara, and Bihor, all between the ages of six through twelve, together with their parents. They have had the opportunity to take part in a different kind of school start, an extremely dynamic one, in a real explosion of creativity.
The Crea-Est Association along with the support of the Transylvania College Foundation, St. Brendan’s School of Innovation, the Heraldist Communication and Innovation Agency, and with the support of the Cluj Napoca City Hall, we have brought to Cluj two of the most important practitioners of creativity in the world. These were Dorte Nielsen (Denmark) and Tim Hurson (Canada), two extraordinary facilitators who have worked in multiple countries around the world. With their help, the Creativity in Focus event was a real movement of innovation, which combined creative theory and creative tools with the applied – practical part. Together, we learned the answers to some key questions – “What are the relationships between creativity and connectivity?”, “How does connectivity influence creativity?”, “How creative are we and how can we trigger ourselves and increase our creative contribution?” – which is the fruit of the scientific research activity and the recent documentation of the mentors present.
Gabriel Aldea ◘ https://komiti.media/
During this event, we demonstrated that we all have a creative potential which can be developed under the right circumstances. The tools proposed by the invited experts are applicable both in the framework of the staff and in that of group activity. Searching for the pedagogical reasons that link between play and innovation, we generated positive energy and stimulated our creativity. We did this through creative games and collaborative fun activities.
Our facilitators were the soul of the event – Tim Hurson, a global expert in innovation and leadership, and the author of two business bestsellers, and Dorte Nielsen, teacher, and expert in education and creativity, as well as, author of reference books on creativity which are multiple award-winners for her work. In addition to the mentioned guests, Andreea Nițoi (Crea-Est) and Simona Baciu (Transylvania College), facilitated the development of this creative workshop in the Romanian language.
Also, established at this event was the first edition of the Creative Writing Manual of children from Transylvania College and made into a textbook made by the members of the creative writing club in school. This was coordinated by the talented teacher, the young Ramona Nagy. The textbook includes creative stories made by students, who promise not to stop there.
According to the World Economic Forum in 2020, creativity will be the most important skill for any employee, and our educational system must be prepared for this paradigm shift. The ambition of the organizers in the long term is that in ten years, Romania will adopt creativity as a core value within the educational system.
Pictures from the event can be found HERE