Article: David Styles | Image: Pupils Ailie Paterson, Junior Healy and Dylan McPhail from St Paul’s Academy take part in Schools Design jam at V&A Dundee
Scottish secondary pupils are designing solutions to the prevalent societal issues of loneliness and isolation as part of an initiative led by V&A Dundee.
This marks the second edition of Schools Design Challenge, with the first having been conducted in 2015/16 when it formed part of V&A Dundee’s pre-opening programme.
A judging panel selected 17 secondary school teams to contribute to this year’s Challenge, with students taking part across Dundee, Angus, Perth & Kinross and the Highlands. Participants are now working with V&A Dundee staff and professional designers to create a prototype of their design solution.
“We have been overwhelmed by the number and quality of entries received for our second Schools Design Challenge, with nearly 100 teams entering different ideas for addressing the serious problems of loneliness and isolation in schools,” Chris Lewis, V&A Dundee’s schools development officer, said.
“The creativity of our school pupils is remarkable, and the design jam will give 17 teams from Dundee, Angus, Perth & Kinross and the Highlands the chance to develop their ideas further with the support of professional designers.”
The complete prototype designs will be on show at V&A Dundee this summer. Solutions being developed by students fall into subject areas including computing, science, technology, engineering and maths.
The Schools Design Challenge receives support from the People’s Postcode Lottery and the William Grant Foundation. Stephanie Kerr from the People’s Postcode Lottery said: “They are focusing on such an important topic and it’s great to see young people looking at ways to tackle loneliness and isolation within their own environment.”
