“The Thought Box” Event Idea

I can’t for the life of me remember what the events (that already exist) are called when a group of people gather, often for a business-induced workshop, and come up with ideas for a day. Plenty of incredible ideas come out of this, and have led to some of the big-name companies of today. I know that much.

I’d like to do that with a big group of teenagers and cardboard, and call it “The Thought Box”.

It could be competitive, but even more likely it would be collaborative (or both!) Teams of teenagers coming together with box cutters and hot glue, competing to solve a proposed problem with cardboard. As the event grows, and teams are eliminated, new tools (laser cutters, cricuts, various adhesives) would be introduced as available… (typing this out I realize there are several directions the idea could go. Here are a few)

The Game Show

would perhaps be the most fun, but also the most exclusive and perhaps not most beneficial. Creativity is not always best shown under pressure, especially in teenagers. But to capture the attention of viewers, a show would need to have that anxiety of a time crunch, and the emotion of elimination. It’d be doable. But is it the best choice?

The School Event

would be possible due to the accessibility of cardboard and the tools needed to work with it. Communities could easily fill entire gyms of a school solid with cardboard if asked, and most everbody has knives and glues and tapes. Schools could structure such an event to encourage class colaboration, and could use it in a format similar to homecoming, with grades competing, or just with individual classrooms. With groups of engineering and art students inevitably taking a hold of the competition, leadership dynamics and lessons will emerge that may be beneficial to further learning experiences.

The Summer Camp

…to quote Napoleon: “Summer camps, summer camps, summer camps.” Camps would be able to bring like minded groups of individuals together for the experience of creating in a collaborative atmosphere nonstop for a week or so. The naturally competitive air of cabins would be heightened by the actual competition. The possibility of a light-bulb idea in the middle of the night, and excitedly waking up cabin mates to share and the implement the idea on projects would be unique to the camp experience.

The idea is only an idea so far,

but it sure could be a cool reality.