Gijón SmartKids 2015-2016: Program to foster a culture of innovation among young people in Gijón

Gijón SmartKids 2015-2016 was a program to foster a culture of innovation aimed at children and young people in Gijón aged 10 to 18. Its purpose was to bring them closer to the most innovative companies in the Gijón Science and Technology Park and to involve them in designing the smart city of the future.

The project's objectives were:

• To foster a culture of innovation among the youngest, providing them with work frameworks and techniques associated with creativity and innovation.
• To promote scientific and technical vocations and technology entrepreneurship.
• To equip teachers with methods and resources for developing scientific, technical, and entrepreneurial vocations.
• To connect the education system, entrepreneurship, and business, as well as formal and informal education.
• To strengthen, empower, and make the most of innate talent and creativity at an early age.
• To develop citizen participation processes with children and young people as the protagonists.
• To gather proposals for the development of "Gijón Smart City" from the perspective and creativity of the youngest.
• To foster applied creativity in young people as a natural way of working, applied across all their activities.

The core areas of Gijón SmartKids 2015-2016 were:

• Technology demonstration activities: demonstration sessions on cutting-edge technologies and innovative applications in the CTIC laboratory.
• Contact with technology park companies: introductions to technology-based and innovative companies located in the Gijón Science and Technology Park and its surroundings.
• Educational activities: school and extracurricular activities linked to technology entrepreneurship.
• Youth think tanks: youth working groups focused on the concept of "Gijón Smart City".
• Career guidance and mentoring: guidance and mentoring for pre-university students linked to scientific and technical professions.

CTIC carried out the Gijón SmartKids 2015-2016 program in its laboratory at the Gijón Science and Technology Park, taking charge of designing and running the technology demonstration activities, the contact with park companies, the youth think tanks, and the mentoring of the young participants.