Winners Make-a-Ton on parenting
How can we empower parents in raising their children? Over the past week, students from all over Ghent came up with creative solutions during the Make-a-Ton organized by Comon and Gentrepreneur. Two student teams came out on top. 'Digihelden' won the jury prize, while 'Messy Monsters' took home the audience award. Congratulations!
Digihelden
"How can we help parents feel more confident, open, and less anxious when talking to their children about their digital lives?" That was the challenge Mediawijs presented to the team of Lars, Amber, and Ben.
Children are exposed to social media at a very young age, often around five or six. This can sometimes lead to arguments or misunderstandings at home, even though it’s essential to discuss media in an open and positive manner from an early age. Lars, Amber, and Ben came up with ‘Digihelden’, a cooperative game that helps families do just that.
Parents and children explore the digital world together, complete small challenges, and learn from each other. Along the way, they collect cards to defeat the ‘digital villain,’ the dark side of the internet. The game encourages conversation, strengthens their bond, and helps parents gain more control over their children’s online world, without conflict.
Praise from the jury
The jury praised all the participants. Jolien Coenraets (Gentrepreneur) said, “We are highly impressed by all of you, by the presentations, by how thoroughly you addressed the problem, and by the results you achieved. Beautiful designs, strong graphics, and practical creations that were actually built.”
Jury member Rein De Paepe (Arteveldehogeschool) also highlighted the quality of the proposals: “It may sound cliché, but participating is more important than winning. It’s a shame this was a competition, because there were six really great proposals. In the end, we chose a team that tackled a small but important societal issue in depth: Digihelden. This is a beautiful, accessible solution that cleverly combines physical and digital elements and engages a very young audience.”
The youngest member
The winning team looks back on the Make-a-Ton with excitement. Lars, at sixteen the youngest of all participants, reflects, “It was really amazing, a completely new experience. This award inspires me, maybe to do something more with Digihelden in the future.” Student Amber shares that same feeling: “I am so happy with this award, and it was fantastic to work together with these two great teammates.”
Messy Monsters
"How can we support families in distributing their time fairly and mindfully across work, caregiving, household chores, and leisure?" That was the challenge presented by Gezinsbond and Tech Lane to the team of Jade, Klaartje, and Victor.
In many families, household chores are divided unevenly, which causes the mental load often to fall on one person. Many parents later say they wish they had involved their children in helping out sooner. Jade, Klaartje, and Victor came up with Messy Monsters, a TV app that turns household tasks into a game.
When a little monster appears on the screen, it means there's a task waiting. Children get fun visuals, and parents get a bit more support. This ensures that tasks are distributed more fairly, encourages more discussion, and lightens the mental burden within the family.
Praise from the challenger
Marijke Moyson, representing Gezinsbond, is proud: "We know very well what families struggle with. At the start of the Make-a-Ton, it was a challenge to narrow down the broad question - how can we help families divide their time fairly and consciously between work, care, household, and leisure - to something concrete. I'll admit, I felt a bit sorry for the students at first. But they did a brilliant job. I was really curious about the result, and today I'm incredibly proud: their solution, 'Messy Monsters', turned out so well."
Radio2 liveshow
Radio2 Oost-Vlaanderen was also present during the Make-a-Ton. During the live broadcast in De Krook, the students presented their solution ideas live to listeners, with fascinating reflections by Prof. Maarten Vansteenkiste (Ghent University).
Browse through the photos taken during the Make-a-Ton
Make-a-Ton, what's that?
During a Make-a-Ton, students from different fields of study work together with experts and experienced professionals to find solutions for the social challenges Comon is tackling. Under the guidance of experts, they dive into the wonderful world of design thinking, fast prototyping, and pitching. The result? Smart, innovative solutions with a generous touch of technology.
What's next? Microlab!
All that work has not been in vain. In the next phase, Comon brings partners together in a 'Microlab'. There, a diverse team of people from Ghent will work on further developing, testing, and implementing one of the solutions from the Make-a-Ton into a fully functioning prototype.
