24/07/2026
☀️ Major structural reforms affect entire communities -especially the youngest members, who are rarely consulted. With the Future Blocks project, we aim to change that!
We are extremely proud to have Pöide Kool as one of our official associated partners in the Future Blocks project! Known for being one of the kindest and most caring school communities around, Pöide is embarking on a multi-stage journey with us that includes 4 dedicated design sprints. Through these sprints, we are giving students a continuous voice while co-developing and testing a child participation toolkit that municipalities across Estonia and Europe can adopt in the future.
For our first sprint with Pöide School, our Future Blocks project team at Vivita / Lahenduste Laboratoorium alongside our partner Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu / National Library of Estonia, headed to Saaremaa to tackle a very pressing topic: the upcoming school merger between Pöide School and Orissaare Gümnaasium.
To turn merger anxiety and uncertainty into constructive civic action, we gathered 35 students from grades 1 to 9 for a full day of hands-on co-creation.
Starting the day with a soothing yoga session led by Pöide Kool eacher, the students stepped up as active co-designers. They mapped out their deepest concerns about the merger and quickly prototyped practical ideas to foster safety, friendship, and community pride:
The Friendship Bus 🚌: An interactive shuttle running between Pöide and Orissaare filled with games to help students build bonds ahead of the merger.
Joint Assembly Council 🗳️: A student council framework with neutral mediation tables where youth, village elders, and municipal officials can vote together on equal footing.
20-Minute Rest & Creative Escape Hubs 🛋️: Cozy sanctuary zones equipped with beanbags, low lighting, and art walls to help students regulate sensory overload and stress.
The Grand Dome & Stage 🎪: A shared community pavilion designed for joint concerts, theater, and creative expression.
Active Play & Parkour Parks 🏃♂️: Movement-focused outdoor spaces designed to encourage organic socializing through play.
By shifting from designing for children to co-creating with them, these young designers proved once again that youth possess incredible wisdom and empathy when facing real-world challenges.
A huge thank you to our incredible partners, students, and staff at Pöide School! We can't wait for our next sprints together! 📝✨
🇪🇺 Funded by the European Union. (The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.)