Global Children's Designathon:
an international challenge for a better world
What happens when children around the world get the chance to design a better future?
The Global Children’s Designathon is our annual international event where children explore real-world challenges, imagine solutions and bring their ideas to life through hands-on making. Working in teams, they build prototypes, share their thinking and discover that their ideas can make a difference.
From their own classrooms and local hubs, children connect with peers in other countries, exchange ideas and celebrate each other’s creativity. A local workshop becomes part of something much bigger: a global community of young changemakers.
Since 2014, thousands of children have taken part. Guided by the Designathon method, they experience what it means to be designers of the world they are growing up in.
The 2027 edition: AI & Our World
AI is increasingly shaping how we learn, create, share information and connect with each other.
But what does this changing world look like through children’s eyes?
On 17 April 2027, we invite children to ask questions, explore the possibilities and challenges of AI, and design their own visions for a future where AI works better for people and the planet:
AI & Education
How is AI changing the way we learn, discover, create ideas and solve problems?
AI & Environment
How could AI change the way we understand, live with and care for our planet and its resources?
AI, News & Communication
How is AI changing what we see and hear, what we create and share, and how information travels between people?
AI & Human Connection
How might AI change friendship, relationships, collaboration and the ways we connect with others?
The purpose is not to teach children what to think about AI, but to invite them to think critically, ask questions and design for themselves.
Across these four areas, children will explore one shared design challenge:
How might we design a future with AI that works better for people and the planet?
Their solutions may use AI, combine AI with human creativity, physical making and community action, or even question whether AI is needed at all. No AI tools, laptops or internet required. The important thing is that children decide!
The future is taking shape. Let children help design it!
STEP 1
Learn more and register here.
STEP 2
Become a member of our community platform and download the workshop materials (available in January 2027).
STEP 3
The Global Children's Designathon will take place on 17 April 2027. During the day, children will work on their ideas and connect with their peers from other countries.
STEP 4
Send us your best ideas and we will post them in our Library of Ideas.
What makes this workshop unique is the magical combination of empathy and creativity. When children learn to see the world through others’ eyes and are empowered to imagine solutions, they tap into a powerful force for change.
