Presidential Building to host Kids Big Fun event

A children’s event featuring climate education, sports, films and cultural activities is scheduled to be held at the Presidential Office Building and on Ketagalan Boulevard on Sept. 19, with President William Lai (賴清德) to hear children’s views on climate change, organizers told a news conference on Friday.

The Kids Big Fun event would feature five activities inside the Presidential Office Building and five themed zones on Ketagalan Boulevard, the organizers said.

The inside activities are a children’s climate summit, a reading event and a disaster preparedness experience, as well as film screenings and an electronic music party in the building’s auditorium, they said.

The Kid Big Fun event’s homepage is pictured in a screen grab.

Photo: Screen grab from www.kidsdafun.com

The outdoor zones focus on environmental sustainability, children’s traffic safety and sports, as well as a Hakka culture market and a mobile photography studio, they said.

Activities including basketball and boxing would be available, with some designed as accessible to children, families and people with disabilities, the organizers said.

Most activities would be free and open to the public, although advance registration through the event’s Web site is required for limited-capacity activities, including tours of the Presidential Office Building and film screenings.

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said that Lai would attend the event and take part in the children’s climate summit.

The National Climate Change Countermeasures Committee is made up of adults, but children who are 10 years old today will be 30 in 2050, Peng said, adding that their expectations for the future are important for adults to hear.

The event is being organized by several nonprofit groups, including the Fubon Cultural and Educational Foundation and the Mom Loves Taiwan Association.

Fubon Cultural and Educational Foundation board director Irene Chen (陳藹玲) said adults should learn to listen to children’s views and give them opportunities to take part in decisions affecting their lives.

Allowing children to engage with issues that might initially seem small or mundane can help them shape the future they want, Chen said.