Hello! I'm Michelle Borda and I created Michifuzz to provide an insight into my professional career. I strongly believe that creativity have a profound transforming power in people’s lives. I started my career working in creative industries but for the past decade my work has been entirely focused on developing imaginative and creative skills for children as, I believe, this is a gift that you can give them for life. I work in educational, cultural and social projects igniting creative thinking in primary school children, developing content for school workshops, family events and research in creative education.

I have two Master´s degrees that combines my biggest passions: one is in Psychology of Creativity at the UAB in Barcelona and the other one is in Primary Education at The Institute of Education (UCL) in London. I also have been fortunate to have very different working and studying experiences in London, Barcelona, Ibiza, San Francisco and Lima. I have created two film festivals, then I discover my passion by experiencing the joys of informal education working for the Children’s Creativity Museum and studying Design Thinking at the DSchool in San Francisco. I have continued working for several non-profit organization and projects in creative children’s education such as The Institute of Imagination, The Barbican and The Royal Academy. Currently, I live in London working as a freelance Educator designing and moderating children’s and adults’ workshops in creative learning.

Children:

I create environments that allow children independent self-exploring to discover their own knowledge by presenting creative challenges and teaching basic practical skills. I merge sciences, technology, and art, all packed in a playful way so we can create something new each time. The content usually is open-ended and always the value relays on the process rather than the outcome.   

Creative Coding

I use coding as a means to be harvest much needed skills such as creativity, critical thinking and problem solving, collaboration, communication and imagination. I use mainly block coding as it's a great introductory tool and I move quickly into physical computing using micro:bits and/or makey-makeys to bring inventions alive.

My aim is to encourage children to use their new digital skills to develop their own real world solutions.

STEAM Play

Here some examples of wonderful STEAM workshops that we can do, scribble machines, painting machines, catapults, rockets, racing machines, you name it! It's all about making, creativity, problem solving and collaboration. And is lots of fun too.

DiscoTech events

Short for "Discovering Technology," DiscoTech it is an initiative that started in Detroit and has inspired the world. The goal is to allow children to think and learn about the impact of technology in our lives and to bring a community together. This is an all-day community-led event, where participants will find stations that questions/discovers different aspects of technology.

Since 2017 we have hosted DiscoTech's at Yerbury School. Here some pictures and videos of the past events:

Adults:

There is so much truth in “teach and you will learn more”. I love doing workshops and brainstorming sessions for adults, these days' are mainly but not exclusively in creative coding and participatory research.

Children's Creative Education

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

Drawing Sculptures, Family workshop  (Oct 2016)

Over 450 participants joined Make:Shift:Draw, a two day Family Workshop that merged The Big Draw Festival with Make:Shift:Do and the Royal Academy latest exhibition Abstract Expressionism. 

Families created David Smith inspired sculptures with cardboard and turned them into drawing machines, a tinkering activity that allow them to explore movement, drawing and electronics. Their creations where let loose in the Pollock-Style-studio. The result was a truly fun collaborative project between artist and makers.

CURIOUS ART FESTIVAL

Night creatures and marble run workshops (Jul 2016)

The Institute of Imagination’s ‘Imagination Lab’ came to the Curious Arts Festival offering creativity, exploration and invention across the arts, sciences and the natural environment. Among other workshops, we created LED creatures and marble run family instalations

MINI MAKERS FAIR

Into Space, LEDs workshop  (Jun 2016)

MMF it's London's Hands-on and brains-on two day celebration of invention and innovation for the next generation of Makers.

Children made a collective installation of glowing space creatures making simple and parallel circuits with LEDs.  

INSTITUTE OF IMAGINATION

Evaluation consultant (Jan & May 2016)

Qualitative data collection and evaluation for the Imagination Festival 2016 and the well being event It's All About Me Jamboree. 
 

QUEENSBRIDGE SCHOOL

Stop Motion Animation Club educator (Apr 2016- to date)

Weekly after school program of storytelling and animation for year 3 and 4 in outstanding primary school based in Hackney.

MAKER CART

Consultant (Mar 2016 - to date)

The Makercart is a pop-up, mobile makerspace for schools, libraries and community centers that it's currently being developed.

CHILDREN CREATIVITY MUSEUM

Creative Fellow (Jun - Aug 2014)

During this three-month Fellowship I researched ways to stimulate creative thinking in children, and designed and piloted a new after school drop-off programme called 'Creative Adventures'. This consisted of a series of hands-on workshops for children designed to challenge their imagination with two hours of fun, creative and dynamic play. It allowed enough time to create a failure-friendly environment. The programme encouraged self-expression as well as collaboration.

¡PASALA!

Communication Advisor & Storytelling Moderator (Jul 2011 - Dec 2014)

This Peruvian not-for-profit organisation harnesses children’s interest in football to improve reading comprehension. As a consultant I developed the communication plan to increase awareness of the project and develop fundraising activities. I also documented the development of the project (photo and video) and designed and moderated a storytelling workshop in which the children created a comic book.

Schools and summer schools

Recycle Innovation workshop at Kuska School (Nov 2014)

Recycle Innovation workshop at Tikapata School (Nov 2014)

Shadow Puppets at Punta Hermosa Town Hall Summer School (Jan 2015)

Strategic Planning in Educational & Cultural Programmes

AEROPLANO

Founder and Director (Feb 2012 - Mar 2015)

Aeroplano was a strategic planning consultancy focused on marketing and communication for educational, cultural and social organisations. We provided qualitative research, brainstorming sessions and strategic plan design. Aeroplano has carried out work for the Lima Town Hall Department of Culture, La Tarumba (a Peruvian circus and educational enterprise), MAC (the Lima Museum of Contemporary Art), Tupac (the Lima-based Cultural Center for Contemporary Creation), IBC (Institute for the Common Good), Puro Corazón (a hand-made handbag enterprise), and many more.

THE BARBICAN

Barbican Blocks, under 5's workshops  (Oct 2017 - May 2018)

Barbican Blocks is a Creative Learning Project run aimed for the smaller ones in the family. By using a variety of blocks young children can play, build and invent in a world of texture and color. As play workers we allowed children to manage risk as they seek out opportunities for exploration and connection. This project finished their funding cycle but left a lasting bond between families and the Barbican Cultural Center.

Film Festivals

LONDON LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

Advisor on the 25th edition (Oct 2015)

LLAFF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the distribution and appreciation of Latin American films in the UK.

LimaCC CREATIVE COMMONS FILM FESTIVAL

Co-Creator (Oct 2011 – Ongoing)

LimaCC is the first Creative Commons film festival in Lima (born in Barcelona). A 4-day event including outdoor and indoor film projections, live performances, talks and debates, and educational activities around Creative Commons. For the first edition we reached 2,100 viewers, 3,000 people at the closing party and press coverage valued at US$40,000.

MI PRIMER FESTIVAL
CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL

Co-Creator (Jun 2014 – Ongoing)

Mi Primer Festival is a non-competitive film festival that aims to create exhibition spaces for films and audio-visual content for children. We aim to introduce children to the film industry and provide Peruvian children with an opportunity to understand different cultures from all over the world. We have also developed an educational and social programme that offers the same experience to children from low-income families who have never seen a film before.

Innovation Companies

LA VICTORIA LAB

Design Thinking Consultant for Storytelling Project (Apr - May 2015)

Partner company of IDEO in Lima, La Victoria had the challenge of helping the Innova School network to find ways to improve children's communication skills through storytelling. We designed a pilot programme which is currently being rolled out across all 50+ schools in the network. 

POKO

Teacher Training Programme Consultant (Dec 2014 – Mar 2015)

Poko is a communication company that needed to develop a unique training programme for all newly recruited teachers of the Innova School network. Innova Schools are pioneering an innovative approach to education that has challenged the status quo of education in Peru.  

Advertising Agencies

OGILVY & MATHER
Strategic Planning Director (Apr 2010 - Oct 2011)

SEIS GRADOS
New Business Executive (Aug 2006 - May 2008)
 
McCANN ERICKSON
Strategic Planner's Assistant (Jan 2006 - Aug 2006)

Image

Higher Education

Vocational Training

I'm a frustrated writer but have managed to publish an article in Etiqueta Negra (one of the best literature magazines in Latin America). I'm an adventure seeker and have crossed the Andes in a Mototaxi, a trip of over 4,500km from Huancayo, Peru, to Asuncion, Paraguay. I have driven down the entire west coast of the US in a campervan, and have been lucky enough to visit 29 countries and still want more. I am a home-made-video-maker for people special to me. Also, I am an art enthusiast: I was involved in setting up a cultural association called Visible, which began in Spain and now operates in Lima. I also enjoy organising outdoor cinema at every opportunity I have, just because I love to watch a good movie under the stars.