Students come up with activities to bring residents of Heikant together

How can you encourage residents of the De Heikant neighborhood in Veldhoven to meet more often? Our fourth-year HAVO students tackled this question, posed by Cordaad Welzijn, as part of the “HAVO in Practice” program. On Thursday, October 29, they presented their ideas and results. From a movie night to a Halloween party and even drag queen bingo, the students came up with a wide variety of plans to bring people in the neighborhood together.

First, listening to the residents
To come up with good ideas, the students first set out to do some research. They spoke with residents on the street and talked with students at an elementary school. What do people enjoy doing together? What are their needs? And what would convince them to meet up more often? Liv and her group visited Aan ’t Heike Elementary School. There, they asked the students what they would like to do. A clear idea emerged from those conversations: a movie night.

From Idea to Detailed Design
The students developed their ideas into concrete plans. They thought about the design and how they could reach their target audience. This led to some great results. Posters and flyers were designed to announce activities. Some groups even created their own websites.

Together, we’re shaping the neighborhood
Through this project, the students didn’t just learn to come up with creative ideas. They also discovered how important it is to listen to others first and incorporate their wishes into a design.

That is precisely why we, as a school, consider “Havo in Practice” so important. We want our HAVO students not only to learn from books, but also to experience how knowledge works in practice. They learn to work together, listen to others, come up with creative solutions, and turn their ideas into concrete plans.