radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Innovation and invention are touted as solutions to diversify T&T’s economy and director of the Lego Club of T&T Terrence Francois believes supporting the creations among youths will foster entrepreneurial creativity in the future.
He was speaking at the Gulf City shopping complex in La Romaine on Saturday where dozens of Lego builders displayed their skills.
The participants as young as five years had a range of displays. Among these were Savarna Balkaran, who built a Snow White Castle, and Ari Jogie, who built a bucket wheel excavator.
Francois, who plans to open a southern club at the Creative Arts Centre in San Fernando on February 24 said he was blown away by the level of enthusiasm by Lego fans.
In commemoration of International Lego Day the group registered 50 plus participants from as far as Diego Martin and deep south, Francois said.
He said the Legos sets are bought by the owners and some Lego models took years to build.
Saying Legos were now being used as a teaching tool internationally, Francois said, “Lego definitely does something to your mind. Other than building motor and communication skills, Legos build confidence, patience and focus on children.”
Saying T&T needed its own inventors and engineers, Francois said building Lego models will go a long way towards increasing innovation and invention in T&T as it covers the subject areas of mathematics and science in particular physics.
Currently, the club has 25 members but Francois said they planned to take Legos to schools.
“We will also have a Lego caravan in July where we will go to all communities in Trinidad and introduce Legos,” he said.
Francois said he benefited from building with Legos as a child and he successfully participated in competitions.
“I know that Legos helped me and I wanted to give back to this generation so that’s why I started the club,” Francois said.
Even though he does not have children of his own, Francois said he has many adopted children who have benefited from Lego blocks. He called on corporate T&T to support Lego, adding that the Government should also take an interest in introducing Lego in schools.
Meanwhile, transmission technician Keith Pandohie who built a moving crawler crane out of 4,000-plus Lego technic pieces said he was also willing to teach students Lego construction.
Unlike Francois, Pandohie said his parents could not afford to buy him Lego sets so he waited until he was an adult to afford to his hobby.
Saying the cheapest Lego is about US$300, Pandohie said he got his first technic Lego set 10 years ago.
“I saw in a magazine a Lego tractor and tow truck and I waited for two years until my mom went to the States to buy it. My first Lego was a red excavator and a cherry picker. Now I’ve built a fully motorised crawler crane. Like Francois, Pandohie called on Government to support the Lego club and introduce Legos in schools as part of the innovation and invention curriculum.