Problem Statement:

Uruguayan society lacks of environmental awareness and sense of belonging with its surrounding environment. The change of Uruguay’s energy matrix has led to a notorious increase in the generation of electricity from renewable sources (84% in 2013). According to PISA test conducted in year 2012, Uruguay is the country with fewer minutes of lessons in reading, mathematics and science in Latin America. It is necessary to complement government efforts towards sustainable energy development and social inclusion by raising awareness in society as a whole and especially in children and young people, not only in the capital city but also in the countryside.

Target Group:

Uruguayans children in pre-teen age (11-12 years-old) and their families.

Proposed Solution:

Juegos Que Iluminan (JQI) was Montevideo’s hub first project. It was focused on innovation for environmental education and promotion of citizen participation, using sports for development and creativity as main tools. Football is an identity of Uruguayan culture and a tool used to integrate as many individuals as possible in our target public. Our project aimed to develop individual awareness on saving energy and renewable energies, by promoting the use of play, creativity and innovation in technologies, in order to find alternatives to our current energy production and consumption. We focused in underlining the role each person plays in looking after the environment by showing the children how each of them can generate energy and orientating youth to action, creation and participation in alternative solutions. This was done by using in the whole project process a technological visual element that represented the concept of renewable energies: the “E-Ball”. It was a soccer ball inspired by Uncharted Play Soccket Ball, which stored the kinetic energy of movement and transforms it into electricity.

Hub Activities:

- Research and design thinking workshops to design an awareness environmental project aimed to pre-teens.

- JQI first pilot was implemented on April 26, 2014, in Providencia Education Center in Montevideo. We complemented the environmental education given in the Educational Center with a day of recreational activities in which the children participated in the generation of electric energy by playing with the E-Ball and discovered innovative technology to solve environmental issues. The E-ball  was able to transform the energy of motion into light. 

Short & Long-Term Goals/Results:

We reached our goal of developing individual awareness on saving energy and renewable energies, by promoting the use of play, creativity and innovation in technologies to find alternatives to our current energy consumption. Most of the children expressed their concern to make a better use of energy in their homes and were empowered to feel part of the change.

Pivot for gaining more experience with this pilot program, as well as sufficient tools, we aim to find a methodology for replicate and scale the project across the country, but also regionally and globally.

Available Metrics:

50 children – 1 school – Total of 150 persons (including children families)

12 shapers

8 volunteers

Collaborators:

3Vectores

Coca Cola- funding of USD 2,500 for importing 5 soccketballs and providing healthy catering for children

GoodLife- provided fruits for the children

Uncharted Play - source of inspiration and supplier for the balls

Centro Educativo Providencia - our partner for implementing the pilot project, providing the venue and the target public.

Fundación a ganar - provided the legal organization for importing the balls. 

Rusalka of the Seas - participated in the organization of the educational activities on the day.

This project has been completed: Start date ABR 2013 | End date: JUN 2014

Web links:

• https://neturuguay.com/2014/05/17/montevideo-refrescos-acompano-la-puesta-en-marcha-del-proyecto-juegos-que-iluminan-de-global-shapers/


• https://3vectores.com/myportfolio/juegos-que-iluminan/