In the eighth year of its afterschool science, technology, and entrepreneurship program, PICO Kids has sent one of many upcoming delegations to Dubai for a 5-day summit focusing on water solutions. Sixteen kids, or PICO Ambassadors, from Jerusalem, Israel met a group of peers from the UAE who teamed up for a make-a-thon at the Dubai Future Foundation.
The teams developed prototypes that included vertical farms, desalination facilities, and more. The PICO Kids Ambassador program, run by PICO Venture Partners, plans to create more opportunities for youth connection over the next 3 years. CEO Elie Wurtman says that “children have a particularly unique vantage point to act as innovators and conceive of new ideas in ways that adults might not be able to…The Abraham Accords have presented a historic vision for collaboration between Israel and the Gulf countries, and it is only natural that the collaborations…should now be realized among our youth as well.”
Of the collaboration, one student said, “It’s been an absolutely amazing experience and an opportunity that you can’t get anywhere else. I’ve never met an Israeli before in my whole life. It’s time for peace and if we talk with each other, especially the youth, things will change.”
