Rookiebox is a young company, so young that they are now celebrating their first anniversary, although it has already positioned itself as a finalist in the GAMECHANGERS social entrepreneurship program, among more than 450 projects.
It has the collaboration of 10 partners, and today we have David Jesús Gómez and Verónica Rodríguez with us who are going to present this great initiative materialized in a portal in which culture lovers can present their works and / or performances worldwide; thus showing his talent.
I met them because at the end of last June they were going to Associations Associations of AMPAs, since they fundamentally intend to implement the project in educational centers, which would become a kind of dynamic “incubators” of the works of Art (of all kinds) coming from of their own students.
Veronica is a Salamanca and publicity and public relations student, she is convinced that if society promotes culture, the world will be a little better. David was also born in Salamanca, although he has lived in A Coruña, Alicante, Madrid, Boston and Jönköping (Sweden).
From living in Sweden and knowing its educational system, the idea arose; Well, of that and coming from a family of artists in which who does not paint (and also well), dances or acts in theater groups, there are even those who photograph almost from their birth.
It is David who answers us, and also confesses that although he knows the world of Art and Culture very well, his skills in this regard are far from those of his relatives. Of course, one of his motivations when creating Rookiebox is the knowledge that young artists need more visibility; and in addition to this it points out the lack of incentives in an educational system that makes it difficult to develop artistic talent.
Peques and More.- When I met Rookiebox I liked the initiative: you propose that the educational centers become a kind of museum. Can you explain more?
David Gomez.- We intend to encourage creativity since in the education system there is a lot of theory to absorb knowledge but little incentive for the development of the creativity of minds.
Some time ago when I returned to live in my hometown, I met some schoolmates and it turns out that now one is a painter who has exhibited in Spain and Latin America and a girl who is a writer, at no time did I know his talent when we were in school ages and I find it very sad to have people with a lot of talent at a cultural level and not being able to enjoy them and who knows the same thing I would have encouraged me to do some work.
For all this Rookiebox is born, where artists and creatives have their own online cultural environment and can present all their works and performances since everyone can access. With this tool that facilitates the promotion and promotion of art and culture, we are proposing to schools is to merge the ON-LINE WORLD with the OFF-LINE, that is, the world of new technologies today is a fact and Why not take advantage of it?
In many educational centers as in many municipalities I have found a large number of spaces, rooms, premises, walls, auditorium, etc., that are unused or that have not changed their aesthetics for years. Why not take advantage of it for the promotion of creativity?
We propose the creation of annual cultural competitions of all kinds in Rookiebox and that the most voted are those that are exposed and acted in underutilized areas and places. In this way you get a customization of the educational center, which is what is encouraged in Finland and the students go more comfortable to class.
We talk about exposing or acting the most voted, because we include voting since we consider it to be an incentive and give motivation to develop talent better. But each educational center is free to carry it out as it pleases and its space allows.
The main objective of Rookiebox is to promote art and culture from the youngest, since after all the whole society would take advantage of these talents and would be very enriching.
PyM.- Do you have a geographical area of limited action?
D.G.- The application is developed in English and Spanish since for a little more they did it in two languages and we covered a large part of the planet, but this is with a view to the future.
Right now we are starting at the Colegio Calasanz Escolapios de Salamanca and the idea is to take it to the entire network of Calasanz Escolapios Schools throughout Spain since Rookiebox can do contests between different centers and is a way of integration.
We also had a first conversation with the Catholic Schools institution and the idea has been liked. Being an online tool allows us to reach many sites in a short time. We have received proposals not only for education, but also for hospitality associations, neighbor associations, foundations, faculties of fine arts, art schools ... Whenever they are for the promotion of art and culture.
A proposal that we liked about a municipality, is the realization of a kind of Eurovision within Rookiebox, in which making a comparison, each neighbor association would be like a country that presents its representatives of each discipline and the winner a year Next the festival will be held in the area of your neighborhood association. This allows the whole city to be integrated, when I received this proposal, I was very excited, since it means that Rookiebox is being understood. We put the ON-LINE and the institutions the OFF-LINE.
PyM.- By the way, is the Rookiebox project aimed at children in Primary, Secondary, both stages?
D.G.- Yes, of course, from Rookiebox we have also considered the option of students under 14 years old. When a child under 14 is going to register, he has to assign the educational center to which he belongs (the educational center must be previously registered) and the educational center within Rookiebox has a panel in which a list with all the students comes They ask for authorization. The educational center will accept if that student has complied with the center's authorization protocol, such as carrying a paper signed by the parents that authorizes their child to use Rookiebox to participate in the cultural competitions of the educational center.
For those over 14 years, as by law it is not mandatory to have this express authorization, they can register without problems. But still the school if you want you can filter who can participate in your contests.
The only thing Rookiebox tries to do is open doors and eliminate borders in collaboration with companies and institutions for the promotion of creativity, its creatives, and therefore its work and actions
PyM.- Can you tell us the main objective of this innovative proposal?
D.G.- Promote art and culture from the youngest, since after all the whole society would take advantage of these talents and would be very enriching.
Additionally we want to show that Culture is a sector that can be very profitable if we talk in economic terms. The philosophy of our company mixes different ideas:
Sir Ken Robinson: He is an English educator and writer who makes us see that in a school we are not all equal, there are some who may be listening to the teacher for hours and hours and there are others who need to be painting or dancing to do so there is therefore Students who end up frustrated if they are not well understood and is wasted talent.
Finnish education system: We have already mentioned it before and it has been recognized as one of the best worldwide. It is a system in which they allow the student to personalize their school environment thus giving them a more familiar environment with which they feel more comfortable.
The culture in Iceland: If I remember correctly, it was the first country to fall into the economic crisis from which we are still trying to recover. In addition to the entire political and banking revolution they carried out, they carried out an action that is currently the second engine of their economy behind fishing. What they did was dedicate the largest budget item to the Ministry of Culture. What consequences or benefits does this have now? That a country of 331,000 inhabitants generates more books than the US, that many of the most famous musical groups that sound today come from there among many other consequences of that action.
Our idea is to demonstrate that all this is possible by removing many barriers that exist and take advantage of underutilized areas, places. That is why Rookiebox only tries to open doors and eliminate borders in collaboration with companies and institutions for the promotion of creativity, its creatives, and therefore its work and actions.
PyM.- How does the educational center benefit from becoming a museum of students' works permanently? And the students?
D.G.- In all the educational centers in which I have been I have always found the same thing: fences and walls. Do we train in prisons? I would have liked not to have had that linearity.
Our initiative gives the school dynamism, color, activity, familiarity, mental health and even teaches other students what a classmate can do. It also gives it prestige since it would be a center in which not only intelligence was developed but also creativity and talent would develop.
The educational centers may know what other educational centers are doing anywhere in the world to try to introduce new activities or methods that may be of interest to them.
For students many more advantages since they would be involved in developing something of their own, thus promoting their talent and creativity, they would receive recognition from other fellow parents and others.
Each year would be a challenge that I would have to focus on, how to improve what I did the previous year?
Teamwork and integration are encouraged if there are musical or theatrical performances and even if a short film is shot. Participants meet other colleagues other than your friends, since it is normal for your friends not to like everything you like. They also observe how their work or actions serve something, instead of giving it to the teacher for a contest of the Ministry and not knowing anything more about your work.
You know the opinion of your work, you can know if what you do like or dislike. You can know what people like, and this in itself constitutes learning.
The Rookiebox tool would allow students to have their own cultural curriculum where you could see the evolution of the work or actions of the student from the beginning of the school until he leaves.
PyM.- You know that it is usual to use common facilities of schools and Institutes to make visible the work of students in class, I have noticed that they are usually drawings or collages (at least in Primary) What are the substantial differences of Rookiebox Regarding these most common activities?
D.G.- Yes, we know that they are done and in effect they stay in primary school, but what about after? Speaking in general and with the abuses that this may lead (I apologize), after elementary school, what is most seen is theater, but the rest of the disciplines: Painting, sculpture, literature, photography now with super accessible mobiles, cinema, music and even fashion is a bit on the side.
The substantial difference is that we mix online and offline, the latter in collaboration with the corresponding institution. Who has not seen an elementary student with a mobile or at home with a tablet? On the other hand, and as already mentioned, Rookiebox allows the student to have their cultural curriculum in which they and their surroundings can see their evolution.
That is our proposal to the educational system, hold cultural competitions visible at the national level and in a next step at the international level
PyM.- How do you think the educational system can encourage the artistic creation of children?
D.G.- One of our visions is to be able to carry out national competitions between educational centers in which there are different phases: provincial, autonomous and national for each of the disciplines.
This vision means that all the works of all the students that appear in the contest will have visibility, they will not stay in a dark room or in a bin. This is motivating since you feel part of something that makes sense, win or not win (as in sports), but if the work that I do, I give them to the teacher and from there I don't know where they are going ... I participate the first year, then I don't participate again.
That is our proposal to the education system, hold cultural competitions visible nationwide and in a next step internationally. And those students who have that talent and that illusion, why do they have to educate themselves in the same way as the rest? It will not be better to have an education adapted to that talent.
PyM.- What is Art for minors as well as a form of expression?
D.G.- The truth is that I have no source to rely on to give an explanation with certainty, but if I look back in time and place myself in my student days, I considered it as fun in what I eat in a computer game you must develop your skills and talents to create new things, but after all a fun where free creation stimulates the mind.
I have to tell you that I liked discovering Rookiebox, and even more I like that you have told us so many things about what you can contribute to the education system in our country. I wish you many successes, and I congratulate you on this initiative.
Thank you very much for your contribution. We loved having you in Peques and More.
