International Day of the Girl Child
Google, in collaboration with the Cape Town Science Centre, celebrated the International Day of the Girl Child with a special event held at the CTSC on 11 October 2023 for girls between the ages of 10 and 13 years old, with the theme AI & Robotics.
The training programme – which included the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), an introduction to coding, and how to build and program simple robots – sought to educate, inspire and empower these girls and offered career guidance in these fields.
CTSC Coding and Robotics Project Manager Theresa Ely-Felino expressed excitement at the partnership between the Cape Town Science Centre and Google, which she says is a promising step in bridging the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Speaking on the programme that she curated for the day, Ely-Felino advocated that “it is essential to make a conscious effort to give South African girls the opportunities and support they need to develop an interest in and pursue careers in STEM.”
Google South Africa Communications and Public Affairs Manager, Siya Madikane said “Partnering with the CTSC is in line with Google’s commitment to support digital skills and create sustainable structures for tech education and inclusivity in South Africa.”
The Cape Town Science Centre would like to express our sincerest gratitude to Google for their continued support, and wish to thank the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), CoderLevelUp and the Sakhikamva Foundation for collaborating with us on the day. A special shoutout to Aircloyps for capturing the moments for us with photos and videos.
Empowering the next generation of tech innovators in Sub-Saharan Africa
Excerpt from article on Google Africa Blog “However, we recognise that there is much more work to be done, and that’s why we are excited to announce our partnership with Cape Town Science Centre to expand our efforts in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
This partnership supports local organisations to offer CS First coding workshops that seek to empower over 10,000 students. We believe that these coding clubs can be a valuable way for students to learn coding, collaborate, and develop the necessary soft skills that will prepare them for the future workforce.”