7th “Belt and Road” Teenager Maker Camp and Teacher Workshop held in China – ECOSF attended as Main Partner of the Event
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After inception in 2017, the 7th “Belt and Road” Teenager Maker Camp and Teacher Workshop was held in China from 6-10 November 2023. The Maker Camp was organized under the framework of Belt and Road International Science Education Consortium (BRISEC). The Event was organized by the Children and Youth Science Center (CYSC) of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, People’s Republic of China (MOST) and supported by ECO Science Foundation, (ECOSF), Pakistan, InterAcademy Partnership Science Education Program (IAP SEP), and Network of African Science Academies (NASAC). The main event was held in Chongqing, a beautiful and industrial city of China, whereas, the camp also simultaneously held in Gongxi, Ningxia, Xingjian, Yunnan and Inner Mongolia. A number of 330 participants from more than 35 countries and autonomous regions attended the Event. The participants were comprised of Students, Teachers, Educators, Entrepreneurs, Policy Makers and High Officials. With the efforts and support of ECOSF, the teams from ECO countries such as Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan having the participants more than 120 also attended. ECO Science Foundation was represented by its President Prof. Seyed Komail Tayebi and Advisor/Ex-President Prof. Manzoor Hussain Soomro.
An opening ceremony was held at Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center to launch the event. Meng Qinghai, full-time vice chairman and secretary of the Secretariat of the China Association for Science and Technology, and Zhang Guangjun, deputy minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, jointly launched the "One Belt, One Road" Youth Science and Technology Innovation Partnership Program. Academician Wu Xiangping, member of the Standing Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology, Mustafa Shenhu, Chairman of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations, Academician Ling Wen, member of the Party Leadership Group of the Shandong Provincial Government and Chairman of the Shandong Association for Science and Technology, Deng Wenzhong, Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, , President ECOSF Prof. Komail Tayebi, winner of the 2020 Chinese Government Friendship Award Prof. Manzoor Soomro, Executive Director of the Alliance of African Academy of Sciences Jecklin Kado, Vice President of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Malaysia Ni Mumin and the "Belt and Road" International Science Members of the Education Coordination Committee, representatives of the consulates of relevant countries in Chongqing, as well as heads of the Youth Science and Technology Center of the China Association for Science and Technology, China Science and Technology Exchange Center, Chongqing Association for Science and Technology and other organizers attended the opening ceremony.
After the opening ceremony, Chairman Mustafa Shenhu, Academician Ling Wen, Academician Deng Wenzhong and Academician Ni Mumin gave keynote speeches and communicated with the young people present. Young people actively asked questions about bridge construction technology, artificial intelligence development and other aspects, and the atmosphere of the exchange was lively. After the report, the teachers and students were still reluctant to leave for a long time and gathered around the academician for advice. The keynote report was broadcast live online at the same time, attracting 1.15 million online viewers.
During the Camp, a series of different programmes/activities were arranged. The Students and Teachers were separated as per main themes of the Camp such as Artificial Intelligence, Space Exploration, Creative Structure and Life Sciences. The training sessions were held with the participants and assignments/small projects were assigned to them to complete within the stipulated time. The Camp was not limited to only scientific activities but students and teachers were also given the opportunity to perform cultural dances, attired in traditional clothing to showcase their diverse culture during the cultural dinner night.
Before opening of the Main event of Maker Camp, 1st Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange was also launched on 6th November 2023. The Conference was an added event of the Camp. Next day (7th Nov), the Conference was held wherein, the renowned experts i.e., M.A Ranxi, Deputy Minister of Chongqing Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, NIU Jie Inspector Second Class of Chongqing Association for Science and Technology and others shared their wisdom and knowledge. Prof. Manzoor Soomro, Advisor/Ex-President ECOSF also made a keynote speech during the conference. In his speech, he talked about the collaborations in in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). He also quoted speech of President of China on the occasion of 74th National Day Celebrations who talked about eight priorities areas including STI for next decade.
At the final day of the Camp (10 Nov 2023), a fabulous closing ceremony was arranged. During the closing ceremony, aerobatic, dance and music performances were displayed by the professional Chinese teams.
The Guest of Honour of the Closing Ceremony was Prof. Komail Tayebi, President ECOSF. In his closing speech, Prof. Tayebi deeply thanked and congratulated the hosts i.e., CYSC, CAST Chongqing Association for Science and Technology and other partnering/supporting organizations for holding such an impressive weeklong events. He also said that the event provided the great opportunity to the students, teachers, mentors, policy makers and others to come together for learning and sharing the scientific knowledge, wisdom and cultural information of different countries and regions from all over the world. He also said that among the 350 participants in Chongqing and Urumqi, more than 120 participants were from ECO countries which is also a matter of immense pleasure. He assured that the ECO Science Foundation would continue to work together and pursue the common goals of peace and prosperity along Belt and Road.
At the end, the Medals and Certificates were distributed among the participants in the categories of Best Maker, Best Presentation and Best Team Work.
