JEDDAH, 25 July 2005 — A national security headquarters, underground accident warning and prevention networks, skyscrapers that can hide from approaching danger and a mega nuclear power plant were just a few of the “future world” ideas dreamed up recently in a summer workshop in Jeddah.
The surreal scenarios were the scientific predictions made by lateral thinking 11- and 12-year-old Saudi girls who enthusiastically planned the future of Jeddah city. The projects were part of their summer camp activity run by the Ministry of Education. The theme of the project was “Jeddah Techno Scientific Future City” and the focus was on safety.
“The main ideas of the projects were derived from the girls themselves by brainstorming,” said Tahani Al-Fatah, the program supervisor. The girls did not only want to provide safety to Jeddah but to build a strong, powerful city using the latest technology.
The girls made an outline for each project that included positive and negative points, the execution strategy and the authorities that would benefit from the project. They went one step further and transferred all their dreams in models made from recyclable garbage such as water bottles and aluminum foil.
“The girls were eager and came up with unique ideas,” said Amani, the English language instructor. “Their passion was transferred to me and I was thinking and acting like a 12-year-old all over again.”
The main goal of their workshop was to plan a perfect city where everything was protected by high-tech equipment. The young inventors were so confident of their security system, that their city would not need any policemen. In the ideal future Jeddah, the city would not need more than one security guy!
Proud of their achievements the participants ended the program last Wednesday and jointly sang in a patriotic opera. The girls’ uninhibited dreams found a way to flourish in the camp as they found keen instructors encouraging and nurturing their hidden talents.
