At Momentum, our aim is to develop solutions that address the needs of the future city. Our work is always focused on people. So, what better way to innovate than through engaging with young minds in our local community?
Through Camden’s STEAM Programme, we had the amazing opportunity to do just this when Ken Hy and Patricia Gambiza, both from our engineering team, visited the nursery children at Brecknock Primary School and Torriano Primary School; and Imran Hamblin, CAD technician and Barnaby Hill, senior consultant in our planning team, visited year 2 children at Torriano Primary School.
Ken writes…
What did you do with the children?
“Both schools had been working on transport-themed STEAM initiatives and reached out to Momentum to lead a fun and exciting transport workshop. We ran the idea of creating cities with the children using recycled material, by drawing out a map of a road and handcrafting the different buildings and amenities that the children may pass on their travels to school.
On the day of visit, it was clear to us that the children loved having visitors which was great to see. They were certainly not shy about asking questions! Patricia and I introduced a little bit about our jobs as civil engineers, specifically in transport. It was important for us that the children were able to relate to us. We were extremely impressed with the level of engagement at such an early age.
We centred the morning around how the children arrived at school and the different transport modes they would use. They shared how they would take the bus, walk, scooter or cycle with their parents. More importantly we spoke about the various places the children would pass on their travels, such as shops, cafes, parks, houses and schools. It was important to show them the importance of all these facilities and how they are all connected. This helped to set the scene for the children to create their ‘mini towns’.
Whilst it was important to let the children use their imagination, it was very impressive to see them logically piece together some key features such as parks, bridges and rivers that make up great cities.”
What feedback did you get?
“The teachers echoed that the children were super engaged and were eager to impress with their building skills. No doubt we spotted a few potential engineers in there! The kids had such a lovely time, so much so that they continued to carefully create drawings, constructions and small worlds after we left.”
How does this align with Momentum’s business?
“Our commitment to society and the environment’ is a cornerstone of our business. We accomplish this in part through our corporate social responsibility, or CSR, activities. At the core of the workshops we got the children to increase their awareness of the built world around them and sustainability; hopefully creating the future innovators in transport!
Through initiatives such as this, we try to help provide equal access for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds to engage in STEAM. Diversity of thought and experiences fosters creative thinking and problem solving. We hope our brief visits serve as inspiration for our next generation, to participate in how we shape our built environments in years to come.”
Image credit: Brecknock Primary School