The Edward de Bono Institute celebrates World Creativity and Innovation Week 2024.
Between 15 - 21 April 2024, the University of Malta’s Edward de Bono Institute collaborated with various entities to celebrate World Creativity and Innovation Week (WCIW). This initiative has been celebrated annually for the last twenty years in an ever-growing number of countries, with the aim of inspiring new thinking and fostering a culture for creativity and innovation.
In 2018, the United Nations resolved to include World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21st, as a ‘Day of Observance’ to encourage people to use creativity in problem-solving for all issues related to achieving the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Locally, Dr Margaret Mangion coordinates a programme of events to commemorate World Creativity and Innovation Week in the capacity of ambassador for WCIW/D.
This event was in the form of a workshop organised by the Edward de Bono Institute in collaboration with the Doctoral School at the
University of Malta. Students enrolled on a doctoral programme were invited to attend and interact in an interactive discussion dealing with the importance and relevance of critical and creative thinking when approaching resources and writing at doctoral level. This workshop was delivered by Dr Margaret Mangion.
SDG4 Quality Education, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
Mr Norman Darmanin Demajo, author of the book shared his perspectives on key questions he posed himself. “Can technology truly think outside the box? Can it bypass the straight road of reasoning to meander in the meadows of imagination?” During this journey where lateral thinking met ChatGPT, Mr Darmanin Demajo shared highlights from his work while engaging with the audience in a question-and-answer session.
SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
A Hackathon organised by the Institute of Earth Systems in collaboration with the Edward de Bono Institute within the University of Malta. The aim of the hackathon was to address the pressing needs to conserve water in domestic settings. This two-day event was aimed at students attending Sixth Form. Dr Margaret Mangion facilitated a creative thinking session while Professor Leonie Baldacchino was a member of the judging panel brought together for this event.
SDG4 Quality Education, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
This event involved the participation of a group of performers with different abilities. During the session, Ms Sarah Amato, Artistic Director of the group gave an overview of the aims of Opening Doors and how performers with different abilities can engage in artistic creativity through performances in theatre, music, and dance. Undergraduate students taking IOT1002, Psychology of Creativity had the opportunity of experiencing theatrical contributions from different perspectives.
SDG 3 Health and Wellbeing, SDG4 Quality Education and SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
The session titled “Collective Inner Growth as a Catalyst for Global Change” aimed to encourage students on IOT1009 A Toolkit for Thinking out of the Box to delve into the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) framework. This framework arose from a pressing need to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pave the way for a brighter future. Through a blend of personal reflections and group activities, the students were engaged first hand with the IDG framework, and explored how creativity can act as a catalyst for social transformation. This journey of discovery highlighted how the role that each one of us can play in harnessing the power of collective inner development to drive positive change within our communities and beyond. Ms Peric and Ms Perini kindly facilitated the session on behalf of the IDG Valletta Community Hub.
SDG 3 Health and Wellbeing, SDG4 Quality Education, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
The event titled “Creativity, Critical Thinking and Mindfulness in the Life of am Allied Health Professional” had Dr Margaret Mangion and Prof Leonie Baldacchino engage with Allied Health Professionals on two levels. Firstly, a presentation of results of a study held in Malta within this sector will be illustrated. This was followed by tips and strategies to harness creativity, critical thinking and mindfulness was shared with the audience. This event was organised in collaboration with the Association for Speech and Language Pathologists (Malta).
SDG 3 Health and Wellbeing, SDG4 Quality Education, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
During this activity, students in Year 7 and Year 8 were introduced to SCAMPER, a creative thinking technique. This was followed by an introduction to artisanship with a focus on weaving. A traditional weaving machine was brought in and after an explanation about how it works and the artisan’s wish to develop new products and the desire to improve the technique to a more efficient one, the students applied SCAMPER with the aim of reaching new solutions. This hands-on, creative thinking session presented a good opportunity for students to realise how creativity can be applied to solve real world problems. The event was coordinated and executed by Dr Margaret Mangion.
SDG4 Quality Education, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
In this workshop participants learned a powerful tool called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and how they may use it at home to move through difficult emotional triggers, restoring love, peace and harmony within the family and in life. Participants also learned two effective and simple breathwork practices for calming the mind and restoring the precious life force energy through the body. The workshop came to a close with a dream journey meditation and picking cards. This event was facilitated by Ms Angie Mifsud from Freedom to Live and to Relate.
SDG 3 Health and Wellbeing, and SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals
During this interactive presentation by Professor Alexiei Dingli, attendees can look forward to an engaging session offering a comprehensive understanding of ChatGPT, an advanced AI technology. This session is tailored for individuals with any level of interest in AI and its future.
SDG4 Quality Education
An event organised for participants undertaking an evening course on how to plan, launch and grow your own business offered by the Centre for Liberal Arts and Sciences UM programme. In collaboration with Professor Russell Smith from the Centre for Business Incubation at the University of Malta, the participants will run SCAMPER on a model of Bentley EXP 2 in an effort to make it easier to access for persons with reduced mobility.
This book edited by Dr Katja Tschimmel strives to be an inspiring exploration of creativity’s role in the development of a future worth living. WCIW ambassadors from across
Europe contributed to this publication that will be launched on World Creativity and Innovation Day 21 April, 2024.
SDG4 Quality Education, SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG17 Partnership for the Goals