Dubai, UAE – Kidzink, a global leader in educational design, has partnered with the 29er Class Association, an international sailing body that governs and promotes the 29er, a high-performance youth racing skiff sailed by two-person crews around the world to launch a ground-breaking initiative that links sailing with creativity, learning, and youth development. Over 800 young sailors are expected to participate across the European and World Championships.

Set against the backdrop of the 29er European (1-8 July)  and World Championships (1-8 Aug),  this collaboration uses hands-on design workshops, data-backed research, and visual storytelling to show how physical activity and sportsmanship can support a new vision for education.

With creativity now recognised as one of the most essential cognitive skills of the future, this project is a timely response to declining creative engagement in schools. By placing creativity at the centre of the experience, Kidzink and 29er are not only supporting elite youth athletes but also helping reimagine the environments in which learning takes place.

The programme includes a keynote talk, creativity and happiness surveys, and a workshop titled Float Your Future where sailors design and build small-scale floating eco-hub schools using recycled materials. The goal: to explore how creativity, sportsmanship, and personal well-being intersect. Winning team ideas will be shared with schools globally, and each winner’s school will be offered a design session with Kidzink to co-create a creative or well-being space.

“Our mission has always been to design learning spaces that think differently,” said Charlotte Borghesi. “This collaboration gives us a new lens. By listening to young athletes, we can reshape educational spaces to be more inclusive of the energy, creativity, and balance they naturally embody.”

This initiative is also deeply personal to Charlotte Borghesi, Co-Founder and General Manager of Kidzink. A world-class sailor in her own right, Charlotte made history in 2023 as the first woman to win the SB20 World Championship at the helm, and followed it up with a victory at the SB20 Women’s World Sailing Championship in Singapore in 2025. Her journey through sport, entrepreneurship, and education has long been rooted in the belief that creativity and discipline go hand-in-hand. This collaboration reflects her commitment to building platforms where young people can thrive as complete individuals, in learning, in sport, and in life.

Many Olympic sailors have trained in the 29er class in their youth, making this platform a key stepping stone for aspiring athletes worldwide. The shared emphasis on high performance, resilience, and creative problem-solving forms the foundation of this unique partnership.

Research collected during the events will feed into Kidzink’s upcoming publication, Beyond the Box, a book exploring the future of educational design, student voice, and holistic development. The event will spotlight sailor voices and creative moments, as part of Kidzink’s broader campaign to challenge traditional norms around learning.

The programme will roll out during the 29er Europeans in Lake Garda from 1-8 July 2025, and continue at the 2025 29er Worlds Championship in Porto, to be held from 1-8 August. Kidzink will also run creativity assessments using validated tools to understand how sailing impacts student creativity and well-being.

For further information, please contact:
Dawn Barnable
The B Collective for Kidzink
Email: Dawnb@thebcollectiveme.com

Prutha Barot
Email: prutha@kidzinkdesign.com
Website: www.kidzinkdesign.com