What Happens When You Run A Creative Programme For 100 Kids?

My apologies for not sending out last Saturday's newsletter / blog post.

I had a valid reason: Mathieu and I brought Gosh! Kids to the children’s camp of Living Sanctuary Brethren Church Singapore in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Our hands were tied and I wanted to do a short write-up on what went down last week with these children.

So here's this week’s round up of what went down last week.

Mathieu and I conducting a creative art programme for one hundred kids of LSBC Singapore in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Paint brushes. Drawing. Playstation. Youtube. Minecraft. Photography.

Dance. Think out of the box. Freedom.

These were the responses when one hundred kids were asked “what is creativity?”. Best to hear what children themselves think about creativity.

We had one mission — to spur the well of creativity within the children. Like what we always say:

Creativity is an innately human characteristic, one that every child is birthed with.

Some might have more, some might have less, and some might have almost zero. But I’m not in the business of quantifying creativity, simply because I can’t. Instead, think of Gosh! Kids like your child’s personal gym trainer - supercharging their creative muscles and demonstrating the right exercises to strengthen it.

Because it isn’t about taking beautiful photographs, drawing nice pictures or generating powerful designs.

It’s activating what’s already in your children and having them use it to conquer the world ahead - one that's being revolutionised by technologies like AI, where we’re presented with a simple yet profound question - what makes us human?

What makes your children who they are?

Our Gosh! Kids mascot + our son, Maxime

What makes you, you?

Imagine this: you stopped exercising for extended periods, the number on the weighing scale becomes larger, your skin becomes softer, and you find yourself getting tired easily.

Creativity is much like that — it becomes a fad if left in a dormant state. When children lead their lives with an unhealthy habit of passive consumption, their inner well of creativity dries up.

Creating through creativity is a vital skill to be trained from a young. Our future isn’t going to be like today: AI is replacing much of the human brain, and the world is becoming ultra-competitive. In the near future, your children are going to need a heightened level of creativity to solve the world’s biggest problems, strategise novel solutions and to think outside of their mind to accomplish the greatest of tasks.

We cannot win the world on consumption, but we can show them a better way - the path of a creator.

After facilitating four straight days of children’s programme, Mathieu and I were exhausted. But the fulfilment that came with it was gratifying. These children have once again showed us what it means to stay young, curious and not let anyone’s opinions get in your way of thinking BIG.

Three things that struck me:

Children are loud and proud

They don’t care what others think. They don’t care if their answer makes sense. They don’t care if they just want to be heard. Demonstrating what they know and what they can do is what matters. And they’re full of energy. So why not channel those resources into something meaningful and experiential?

Children have the innate skill to create

We gave the kids three things to do - tell stories through videography, crafting and photography. Minimal instructions, but the kids were off to do what they do best - create. Their minds are imaginative fantasies, and with little prompting, they knew exactly what to do. Like a sudden spark that lights up the fire in them. Creativity, when nudged in the right direction, can yield beautiful results.

Every child received a Gosh! Kids special Creativity Explorer Book where they're prompted to explore their creativity

Children can work together as a team

All hundred kids were split into groups. Were we reciprocated with chaos? Nope. Instead, we witnessed how well they worked as a team through the use of skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving - all essential skills for their future of work.

So if you're a parent wanting to know what more you could do for your child, pick up a pen, a paintbrush, a camera, or whatever you think they can use to create, and start doing what they were meant to do.

If these kids from LSBC can do it, so could yours.

Our friends at The Treasure Box & us at Gosh! Kids

Be well,

Miss G (@gladyssoh)