We had a very special guest at our Palo Alto Kidizens camp this week—Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada came by to tour our young mayors’ imaginative and inspiring LEGO cities!
Our campers were thrilled to showcase the futuristic cities they’ve been hard at work building all week—complete with sustainable energy systems, emergency services, public transportation, and even a few flying pizza delivery drones! Mr. Shikada toured each group’s city and asked thoughtful questions about their designs, leadership decisions, and creative solutions to urban challenges.
But the real highlight? The campers got to flip the script and interview him! They were curious and unfiltered—one asked, “Do you think fire departments are important, and why?” while another wanted to know, “What does a typical day look like at your job?” Perhaps the most relatable moment came when a camper said, “Do you do paperwork? We had to do paperwork, like write laws.” Mr. Shikada answered each question thoughtfully, sparking lots of nods and follow-up ideas from our budding city leaders
Mr. Shikada encouraged the campers to keep dreaming big and thinking critically about how cities work—and how they can help improve them in the future.
We’re so grateful for his visit, and proud of our Kidizens for asking such insightful questions. It was a powerful reminder that civic leadership can start very young—with a few bricks, big ideas, and the confidence to speak up!
Sign up today! https://kidizens.com/camps/lego-summer-camps/
