One million kids to join hands in global fundraising

Hong Kongchildren are joining kids from all over the world to form a one-million-strong building team to raise funds through creative play in October when a fundraiser 2013 Global Cardboard Challenge will be held.

Organized by an international non-profit Imagination Foundation, the Cardboard Challenge globally culminates in a Global Day of Play on Oct. 6, when participating kids will design and build all kinds of things such as arcade games, gadgets, castles, robots by using cardboards and recycled materials.

Running for the second year, the worldwide event aims at bringing communities together to celebrate the creativity and entrepreneurship in children around the world to raise a new generation of innovators and problem solvers.

The idea was inspired by the short film, Caine’s Arcade, which featured a resilient 11 years old boy named Caine Monroy residing in East Los Angeles , U.S. Caine's Arcade proved that a child's imagination is limitless and cannot be bounded.

With persistence and creativity, the young boy managed to change not only his local community but communities around the globe. The video went viral and raised a scholarship of over 228,000 US dollars for Caine and launched a global wave of cardboard creativity in kids around the world.

This year, the Challenge targets to reach the goal of engaging one million kids in 70 countries and regions.Sweet Peas Reading Kingdom (SPRK) and International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) will co-host the Hong Kong Challenge.

Directress of SPRK Audrey Hui, who believes in the power of creative play and the rewarding impact it has on children, told the reporter that said she was excited to be part of this meaningful and socially-committed initiative.

“Play is one of the ways that children learn and make sense of the world, Hui said. “Creative playing with recycled materials not only stimulates the mind but also encourages reusing existing materials to build the things they can imagine.

Hui expressed her hope that they could reach more children and raise funds for a worthy cause.

All proceeds gathered in the Hong Kong Challenge will be donated to Watchdog, which is a charity that provides therapy services for local pre-school children with special educational needs.