A New Experience of Collecting Postage Stamps As a Hobby among School Children

Abstract

The Philatelic Bureau, affiliated with the Postal Department of Sri Lanka, issues around 30 million stamps annually. Postage stamps are a type of official document which reflect a country’s values to the world. At the same time, philately has become an exciting hobby, and there are an estimated 20 million+ collectors worldwide. Postage stamps allow one to learn about the world’s social, political, and cultural situations. On the contrary, collecting stamps in Sri Lanka is limited to a segment of collectors, mainly of older generations. From the qualitative research conducted with the process, most of the younger generation doesn’t have any interest in stamp collecting and doesn’t have any idea about collecting stamps as a hobby. The younger generations are most likely to have an interest in using digital products and digital engagements in their daily work. Even when searching for information about stamps Etc. Considering the value that the collector market has given to postage stamps, and the potential of postage stamps as revenue raisers, the Philatelic Bureau focuses on further promoting stamp collecting as a hobby in Sri Lanka. Addressing this need, this research project aims at elevating the hobby of stamp collecting in Sri Lanka, through the creative application of the concept of visual reading among students. Here, the users can create their own digital stories and stamp designs while exercising their creativity. A digital platform was developed to sustain the stamp’s visual designs and narratives. The narratives can be presented in audio and video formats, as the users prefer. Furthermore, the work can be shared within the community, and rewards can be collected from the philatelic bureau of Sri Lanka, ensuring long-term engagement with the platform. This output of the research project fulfills a timely need to elevate the conventional hobby of stamp collecting to a new level in a meaningful and innovative manner.