On 11th November 2023, the 7th “Belt and Road” Youth Maker Camp and Teacher Seminar was successfully concluded in Nanning, Guangxi, China, and the Negara Brunei Darussalam team returned with honor.
This year’s “Belt and Road” Youth Maker Camp and Teacher Seminar was jointly organised by the Youth Science and Technology Center of China Association for Science and Technology, China Youth Science and Technology Educators Association, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Association for Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Science and Technology, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Education, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Department of Culture and Tourism, Nanning Municipal Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and relevant agencies in Chongqing, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan and other places. The theme of the event is “Youth has dreams; we have Science and Technology, and the world is Concentric”.
A team from Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan, led by Mr. Wong Ing Huong and Mr. Zhang Qingfu, as well as five students from Year 10 Science, including Daphine Thian Hui Xin, Dobrila Wong Sze Qing, Eugene Chok Zhi Yang, Law Yi Xuan, Liew Se Kiat took part in this event.
It is understood that this year’s Maker Camp aims to deepen the exchanges and cooperation between China and the “Belt and Road” countries in the field of science and technology and humanities, and jointly build an international exchange platform for the “Belt and Road” science popularization. Guangxi has created two online and offline platforms, mobilized dozens of scientific and technological workers and education experts, connected scientific research institutions and universities, and launched 33 courses online since August.
This year, the main activities were carried out simultaneously in Nanning, Guangxi and Chongqing, and the sub-camp activities were carried out in Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Yunnan. During the event, more than 200 teachers and students from 13 countries, including China, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Romania and Zimbabwe, gathered in Guangxi to share the feast of science and technology.
On 6th November, co-sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the People’s Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the People’s Government of Chongqing Municipality, and undertaken by the Youth Science and Technology Center of the China Association for Science and Technology, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Science and Technology Association and other units, the 7th “Belt and Road” Youth Maker Camp and Teacher Seminar (Guangxi Main Event) was launched in Guangxi University.
After the launching ceremony, the campers also attended talks by Dr Chen Zheng, a professor at the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Guangxi University, Dr. Wang Liwei, an associate professor at the School of Oceanography, and Dr. Gai Liangyao from the School of Mechanical Engineering on topics such as “How A Long Span Arch Bridge is Built?, “How Much Do We Know About the Marine Science?”, and “One step closer to the World of Robotics”.
The main event in Guangxi has two platforms, both online and offline. The offline main event contains three science and technology education activities, including keynote reports, maker activities, and teachers’ workshops, as well as four science and technology and humanities exchange activities, including visiting well-known landscapes, important tools for visiting countries, tasting Chinese culture, and “Friendship Night”, to experience the charm of Zhuangxiang’s science and technology culture, as well as the colourful and beautiful mountains and rivers, and jointly start a wonderful scientific exploration experience and cultural exchange journey.
In addition, teachers and students also started the “Zhuang Township Tour” to experience the interweaving and integration of nature, technology and civilization. Learn about the development technology of intelligent and new electric vehicles (EV) in the SAIC-GM-Wuling (Liuzhou) automobile production room, appreciate the “magic workmanship” of nature in China’s largest special exhibition hall of strange stones – Liuzhou Strange Stone Museum, experience the magic and charm of science in the wonderful night of Guangxi Science and Technology Museum, experience the “harmony and difference” of various cultures in Guangxi Museum of Nationalities, learn about biological diversity in Nanning Qingxiushan Science Education Base, and carry out the “Maker Camp High-speed Rail Tour” activity on the high-speed train to Liuzhou, and feel the speed and richness of China’s high-speed rail “Iron Tide” culture.
The most exciting event was the presentation of the results and the closing ceremony on 10th November. The leaders and guests attending the event also witnessed the exhibition of the achievements of this year’s Maker Camp and the exhibition and display activities of the China-ASEAN Youth Science Carnival. The teachers and students of Chung Hwa Middle School, Bandar Seri Begawan showed their learning results throughout the camp and received praises from the audiences.
At the closing ceremony, the leaders of the main organizers and the guests of the consulates general of ASEAN countries presented awards to various teams. Negara Brunei Darussalam won 4 awards as a whole, namely The Best Team Award, 2 awards in the category of The Best Presentation Award and The Best Maker Award.
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| ▲ Group photo before the start of the camp. | ▲ Closing ceremony and students with winning prizes. |