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On November 14, the team from the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC), in conjunction with Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment, delivered a design thinking workshop to over 40 high-school students in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event, which took place at the Canadian International School in Vietnam, gave participants the opportunity to learn about design thinking and experience a little taste of Queen’s.

“I’d like to thank Queen’s University for conducting the Design Thinking Workshop at the Canadian International School Vietnam,” says Melissa O’Leary, Secondary Guidance Counsellor at the Canadian International School. “The scaffolded process led them to higher levels of thinking and problem solving - and many remarked that they surprised themselves in being able to develop a solution to a problem within a short time span.  They were engaged the entire time and it most definitely helped to build their confidence.”

The DDQIC was established in 2012 as a startup, and it has since grown into a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship across Queen’s, Kingston, and beyond.

The design thinking workshop, which was facilitated by Greg Bavington, Melanie Robb, Allison Yokom, and Chau Mai, gave students the tools and techniques to think differently, see new opportunities, and create innovative, high-impact solutions.

“We were very impressed with how bright and motivated these students were throughout the workshop,” says Bavington, Executive Director of the DDQIC. “Activities like this really highlight what we are trying to do within the DDQIC.  We are a pan-university initiative, and our commitment is to support students from all academic disciplines and demonstrate how the tools of innovation and entrepreneurship can be applied to advancing an idea or developing a solution to a problem.”

In the future, the DDQIC team hopes to present design thinking workshops in China as well as with their Pathways to Education partners in Toronto.

To learn more, visit the Queen’s Innovation Centre website.