It is widely believed that, IGT recently held its third virtual coding and robotics camp in collaboration with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) on the UWI Mona campus. The camp, which took place from July 17-28, saw the participation of 24 students from Trinidad and Tobago along with more than 70 youth from five other Caribbean countries.
IGT’s Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp is a part of the company’s After School Advantage (ASA) program, which aims to provide youth with access to technology and promote opportunities for digital learning in communities where IGT operates. The camp was exclusively offered to beneficiaries of IGT’s ASA partnerships with NGOs and community organizations throughout the Caribbean.
The camp focused on helping young people between the ages of 11 and 18 understand and solve real-world problems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using technology. The students worked collaboratively on group projects that involved creating engaging websites and petitions in support of various critical SDGs such as Zero Hunger, Life Below Water, Good Health and Well-Being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Life on Land, Affordable and Clean Energy, and End of Poverty. The theme of this year’s camp was “Think It, Code It, Solve It.”
Among the participants were students from three of IGT’s ASA Centers in Trinidad and Tobago: Credo Boys Developmental Centre, Credo Sophia House, and Cotton Tree Foundation. The camp was conducted simultaneously at two levels of learning over a period of ten days. New students were introduced to coding fundamentals and robotics in Level I while returning students from last year’s camp joined a more advanced Level II that built upon their knowledge by introducing AI.
Dexter W. Thomas, General Manager of IGT Trinidad and Tobago highlighted that IGT aims to continuously improve technological awareness among Caribbean youth to prepare them for contributing to social development in the region.
Feedback from the camp showed that the local students enjoyed the experience of working with youth from other Caribbean countries to build technological solutions for the identified SDGs. The SDGs, adopted by the UN in 2015, serve as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030.
Each student selected one specific SDG they wanted to help solve and then worked with their group members to code, conduct research, and collect images to build a website that would educate the public about their chosen topic. According to a student from Credo Sophia House, this group project was one of the highlights of the camp as it allowed her to learn about environmental care while improving her coding skills.
The IGT coding and robotics camp proved to be an engaging platform for young individuals in Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries to enhance their technology skills while contributing towards solving real-world problems aligned with important global goals. Through initiatives like these, IGT continues its commitment towards empowering youth through technology.
