Empowering Children
to Design a Better World
Our mission is to unleash the creativity of 1 million children, teaching them to become changemakers for a better future.
We work with children from regular and disadvantaged environments in equal measure.
During a designathon workshop, children learn to design, prototype and present their solutions to the SDGs, and in so doing to contribute and co-create a better world.
Designathon Works is located in the Netherlands and works through a network of partners in Aruba, Bahrain, Croatia, India, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania and UAE. Our annual global event is hosted in 40 cities around the world.
Click here to learn more about our unique method or click below to find out how we work with our communities.
Our impact
45
COUNTRIES
188
CERTIFIED FACILITATORS
373
TRAINED TEACHERS
49.734
CHILDREN
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Updates
CHANGEMAKER CHALLENGE JUNIOR
January 2020
We’ve developed a lesson material for the Dopper Changemaker Challenge Junior. An international competition where children come up with solutions for single-use plastic pollution. The lesson is 2 hours long and has a fun competition element. Register via the link below.
DESIGNATHON VIA SKYPE IN THE CLASSROOM
September 2019
Every Thursday, from September to November, you can take a 45-minute Designathon class via Skype in the Classroom: "Inspire & Act: how to tackle the causes of deforestation." In collaboration with Our Planet Live.
WINNERS AMSTERDAM DESIGNATHON CHALLENGE ANNOUNCED
May 2019
Primary students of Montessori school De Regenboog in Amsterdam have designed a new learning concept for the library of tomorrow. The design, which won the final of the Amsterdam Designathon Challenge is included in the plans for OBA NEXT, the new library in Amsterdam Zuidas, which will be opened in 2025.
GLOBAL VOICES OF THE NEXT GENERATION
March 2019
Global Voices of the Next Generation provides an opportunity to amplify the voices of the children on what is identified by children as the main concern and future focus area for solutions to deforestation.
SELECTED FOR THE HUNDRED SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT
Nov 2018
HundrED’s Spotlight on Sustainability announced Designathon Works as one of the world´s most inspiring examples to educate youth on how to help save the planet
DESIGNATHON WORKSHOP ON BURNING MAN 2018
September 2018
Is it possible to do a designathon workshop with children at Burning Man? Yes it is!
DESIGNATHON WORKSHOP FOR THE ELECTION OF THE FIRST JUNIOR BICYCLE MAYOR OF THE WORLD
June 2018
Lotta Crok (8 yr) became the first junior bicycle mayor of the world. Her idea is to make public transport bicycles child-friendly.
DESIGNATHON WORKS CROATIA
May 2018
Designathon Works is from now also active in Croatia. Watch the video of the first designathon workshop in Croatian classroom.
GCD 2018
March 2018
The fourth edition of the Global Children's Designathon will be hosted in 25 cities around the world on November 3rd 2018.
SINGULARITYU
November 2017
Designathon children sharing their ideas and thoughts on creativity at the SingualrityU Summit 2017.
EXPO LIVE 2020
July 2017
Designathon Works is one of the 29 Expo Live Global Innovators of the World Expo Dubai 2020!
YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS AT THE WEF 2020
January 2020
Anne Sallaerts, Managing Director of Designathon Works, is just back from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and for the first time in its history, WEF emphatically recognized the power of young people as a force for change by giving young voices prominent stage space throughout the event.
Read more in our article on Medium:
DESIGNATHON WORKS AT UN, HLPF
July 2019
Last week Designathon Works was present for the first time at the UN High Level Political Forum 2019 in New York. An amazing and very interesting experience!
SCIENCE TEACHERS TRAINING IN SHANGHAI
April 2019
In April, we spent a week in Shanghai, China, conducting workshop with children and a training sessions for 120 science teachers! Just like everywhere else, children there too are concerned about the planet and love creating and making.
AMSTERDAM DESIGNATHON CHALLENGE
February 2019
Job Cohen (former mayor) festively opens the Amsterdam Designathon Challenge as part of the OBA100 celebrations.
DESIGNATHON WORKSHOP FOR ESA
October 2018
There are so many awesome projects that we've worked on this year. With so many awesome organizations! One of them that we find very, very exciting is the designathon for the ESA - European Space Agency.
CHILDREN THINK MUCH MORE OUT OF THE BOX THEN WE SOMETIMES THINK
July 2018
Interview with Ger Pannekoek from the Urban Rainshell, a filtering system we used in D-RAIN. Read about the two concepts, similarities between them and Ger's perception on children’s creativity.
CHANGEMAKER CHALLENGE JUNIOR
June 2018
Dopper Foundation and Designathon Works are challenging Dutch elementary school children to come up with creative solutions on preventing the use of single-use plastic. Visit the website (Dutch only).
DESIGNATHON WORKSHOP FOR BUGABOO
May 2018
Since 2017, Bugaboo have supported Designathon Works with high quality scrap materials, a donations and volunteers. In 2018, they are organizing their own in-house Designathon where children of employees as well as children from outside Bugaboo will be invited to design together. As innovators and designers, Bugaboo know that a good idea can make a difference in people's lives.
WATER REPORT
November 2017
This report shows that children care for our planet, are aware of water-related issues, believe these issues are pressing and offer concrete solutions to solve them.
GCD 2017 IN INDIA
November 2017
Shammy Jacob, founder of New World Fight Club and our GCD host in Chennai, India talking about Designathon methodology.
POSITION PAPER
June 2017
Our paper: Co-design with children on societal challenges reveals their empathy and radical innovations.
Written for IDC conference in Stanford.
DESIGNATHON WORKSHOP AT THE COP 25
November 2019
"Last week we attended the COP25 Chile in Madrid. Slightly separated from the politicians, and policymakers, we stood in the youth section of the green zone, accompanied by excited visitors that chose to attend our workshop on food and climate action..."
Read more in our blog post:
DESIGNATHON WORKS GOES MEXICO
June 2019
Designathon method is now official part of the Mayama education model. Their purpose is to transform the lives of children and their families living in high marginalization and violent conditions.
EXPO 2020 DUBAI VIDEO
April 2019
Designathon Works is one of the 29 Expo Live Global Innovators of the World Expo Dubai 2020. In this video we talk about children’s creativity and enthusiasm to build a better future.
CHANGEMAKER CHALLENGE JUNIOR
November 2018
Together with Dopper Foundation we have created the national Changemaker Challenge Junior. In the challenge, 15000 Dutch children worked on topics such as: How to prevent plastic use, How to improve recycling plastic and How to make people aware of the plastic problem.
DESIGNATHON WORKS GOES ARUBA
September 2018
In September 2018, Designathon Works traveled to Aruba to train 20 educators to implement the Social Inspiration LAB designed by Designathon Works and HopeAruba Movement Foundation. This is an interview with Lisette M. Malmberg, Founding Leader of HopeAruba Movement.
UNVEILING OF A DESIGNATHON INVENTION
June 2018
Unveiling of D-RAIN, a Designathon invention, during the Co-Creating the City conference at the WeMakeThe.City festival.
RESEARCH PAPER
May 2018
Cultivating children’s potential as changemakers.
Read our paper on rethinking how society sees children’s role in shaping the future.
DESIGNING FOR IMPACT
April 2018
THNK interview with Emer and Anne (THNK alumni) about Designathon Works and unleashing the power of a million innovative minds.
THE MINOCT
October 2017
Designathon children presenting their invention to Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister, during the Amsterdam International Water Week 2017.
GCD 2017
November 2017
On 11th of November 2017, 600 children from cities all around the world, worked in parallel to design and develop solutions and innovative concepts around the water issues.
SCHOOL CHALLENGE
March 2017
On the 1st of March 2017, five elementary schools and two high schools joined our first Designathon School Challenge: Waste Sorting at Schools.