During the event, students demonstrated their understanding of wind power and showcased and tested the design of their handcrafted wind turbines
KidWind, an international leader in clean energy education, partnered with Diurna Energy to host the first Mexico KidWind Challenge. KidWind brought the challenge to Mexico by hosting a KidWind workshop with 15 teachers from Baja California. These teachers then worked with 18 teams of students to craft wind turbines, and the teams then competed in the first ever KidWind Challenge in Mexico which was held on December 10, 2021, from 9 am to 3 pm PT at the State Arts Center in Tecate, Mexico. The three highest performing teams were all from CETIS-25, and each team had four high school students.
Team scores were based on their performance on three tasks. Teams participated in an instant challenge, tested their wind turbine’s performance and energy output, and presented their design choices, challenges, and successes to the judges. The top performing teams won laptops, headphones, and gift certificates.
“After hosting hundreds of events in the U.S., it was exciting to have our first KidWind Challenge in Mexico,” said Michael Arquin, founder of KidWind. “To say I was impressed and inspired is an understatement. All of the students who participated were amazing. This event would not be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors and for them I am grateful.”
The KidWind Challenge is a nationwide initiative to help students learn about renewable energy and hone their engineering skills through the spirit of competition. Since the first event in 2009, the KidWind Challenge and its partners have hosted more than 300 events in 32 states, impacting roughly 40,000 students. To view a list of all upcoming Challenge Events, click here.
“We are confident the Mexico KidWind Challenge will make a great impact on the lives of young students of Baja California,” said Romie Tejeda, general coordinator of the Mexico KidWind Challenge. “My aspiration is that in a few years I can look back and realize how this first edition fostered environmental consciousness in the minds of the new generations of leaders, scientists, innovators, and problem solvers.”
The Mexico KidWind Challenge was made possible through generous contributions from sponsors, including Diurna Energy, Sempra, ESCO , Vestas, Covanaro, Simplify, Carl’s Jr., and the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana.
“It’s inspiring to see youth engaged and motivated to work on renewable energy and fight against climate change,” said David Munoz Andrade, CEO and founder of Diurna Energy. “We are thrilled to partner with KidWind to bring clean energy education down here, and this will for sure be the first of many challenges in Mexico.”
For more information, visit kidwind.org/challenge.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
