An 11-year-old pupil from Kazakhstan participated in the 6th International Conference on Learning Cities

An 11-year-old pupil from Kazakhstan, Platon Nechaev, a graduate of the authorial educational program “PLATON 5D: Thinking with an ESG Component”, participated in the 6th International Conference on Learning Cities, held from December 2 to 5, 2024, in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. As part of the event, he presented his unique original fairy tales and gave a presentation to the President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, as well as to official UNESCO representatives involved in the Learning Cities network program.

The international conference brought together experts, innovators, and representatives from around the world to discuss key issues such as sustainable development, climate change, and the creation of learning communities. The topics addressed align closely with the “PLATON 5D Thinking” program, which focuses on fostering creative and critical thinking through the lens of ESG principles (environmental, social, and governance). The conference highlighted the importance of global knowledge exchange, international collaboration, and the implementation of innovative educational approaches to secure a sustainable future.

Platon Nechaev: “I am very proud to represent Kazakhstan at such an important event. I am grateful to everyone who supported me on this journey, especially my mom. Specifically for the conference, I wrote a new fairy tale called ‘The Magic Compass of Time,’ in which the heroes of my first book, ‘The Legend of Karagan,’ – Masha and Selimkhan – embark on an incredible journey to Saudi Arabia. Among the scorching desert sands, the characters learn to respect traditions and culture, discover the importance of conserving natural resources, and find the treasures of knowledge. By the way, I saw real-life characters from my story here! In Karaganda, we have a plant called Karagan, and in my story, it is represented as Karagash. Here, I found a similar type of Karagan! I also wrote a letter to the Prince, which I was told will be delivered along with my books. In the letter, I suggested an exchange of experiences between the children of Jubail and Karaganda and proposed planting ‘friendship trees’ in both of our cities.”

Irina Kharitonova, the author of the “PLATON 5D Thinking” educational program and Platon Nechaev’s mother, stated: “We are introducing a unique educational methodology that promotes the development of creative thinking by solving environmental and social challenges. The program incorporates ESG principles and nurtures a new generation of leaders. Participation in the conference has opened new opportunities for advancing such initiatives in Kazakhstan.”