Vocational students follow in the footsteps of old water masters
On September 22 and 23, the Noorderzijlvest Water Authority and Stichting Blauwe Lijn are organizing a second hackathon for technical vocational students from Groningen. More than fifty young people from three technical vocational programs at Alfa College Groningen will participate in this two-day event to work on new solutions for water and climate issues. The event has been set up in collaboration with Landgoed DeCamping 't Zandt, a social experience center where the young people will spend the night and receive guidance.
Hackathon
The two-day event is a so-called hackathon, an event in which teams of participants work together non-stop on assignments in a short period of time. As an extra addition, the students experience what it feels like to have their feet in the clay through a tour, overnight stay in tents, and an excursion across the mudflats. These experiences give the students a more complete picture of the water problems so that they can solve the assignments in their own way.
Inspire and challenge
The aim of the hackathon is to enable students to contribute to future water challenges. They will be inspired by the knowledge of water masters from the past. The old plans of Johan van Veen from Groningen, who came up with the Delta Works and Eemshaven, are still super relevant! This year, Groningen Seaports, the Province of Groningen, the dike workers from Heijmans, and Noorderpoort Groningen are supporting the event.
Past and future
Experts from the Blauwe Lijn Foundation show students how farmers from the Hogeland region and water engineers such as Johan van Veen were pioneers in Groningen. The Noorderzijlvest Water Authority offers young technical professionals more perspective on current activities and an exciting view of the water sector of the future. To this end, they visit the Lauwersmeer dike reinforcement project in Lauwersoog and engage in conversation with the young climate ambassadors of Youth for Climate Adaptation (YFCA).
Out of the box
At Landgoed De Camping 't Zandt, the students will work on two specific assignments. The first assignment on the first day focuses on designing a dike that will still be standing in 2080. In doing so, the students must take into account the still uncertain sea level rise and current land subsidence. The second day is devoted to sustainable flood defences, i.e. with minimal CO2 emissions and room for sound ecological development. The ideas will be presented at the conclusion of the hackathon in the Nijlicht building at Groningen Seaports.