Brno Youth Congress gives children a voice
How can urban transport be improved? Students are bursting with ideas and the city of Brno decided to give them a chance to share them. As a partner in the CIVITAS ELAN project Brno held an International School Children Congress: ELAN Youth on the Move. The congress took place from 24 to 26 May on the premises of Vaňkovka Foundry.
Brno was represented by students from Gymnázium Slovanské náměstí who acted as guides for their international guests. Students from the partner cities of Ghent, Ljubljana, Porto, Zagreb and Brno were divided into groups, with at least one representative of each city per group. Participants had an opportunity to take part in a puzzle hunt, in which they experienced all modes of public transport in Brno including a final boat trip on Brno dam. Results of the puzzle hunt were announced on 25 May, where the deputy mayor of Brno, Ladislav Macek, handed over the awards to the winning team of Fullhouse, which had reached the finish line first. The members of the team were Štěpán Svoboda (Brno), Sara Adam (Ghent), Anamarija Žakelj (Ljubljana), João Lourenço (Porto) and Melanie Lončar (Zagreb). On the basis of the game and pre-prepared background papers from their home cities, the school children were tasked to compare transportation in the respective cities, identify strengths and weaknesses and formulate recommendations that could lead to the improvements in urban transport. They presented these to experts engaged in the CIVITAS ELAN project. One part of the congress was a workshop offering students an opportunity to check out the art of beatboxing. This workshop was chaired by Ondřej Havlík, moderator of the congress, who is also an accomplished beatboxer. The entire congress was characterised by a great mood and thrill. Students were truly bursting with ideas how to improve urban transport.
Author: Lucie Humplikova
