IGT’S YOUTH CAMP BUILDS REGIONAL CODING SKILLS
Shavindra Tewarie-Singh, IGT Senior Regional HR Manager (left) and Leslie Ann Baxam, Draw Coordinator Lead at IGT (right) pose for a quick photo while supervising students during the third virtual IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp held from 17 - 28 July.
MONDAY, 14 AUGUST 2023: PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – IGT’s third virtual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp was held from July 17 to July 28 in collaboration with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) at the UWI, Mona, Campus. Twenty-four students from Trinidad & Tobago joined over 70 youth from five Caribbean countries in mastering new tech skills.
The IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp is part of IGT’s After School Advantage (ASA) Programme, which is the company’s flagship community initiative, devoted to providing youth with access to technology while promoting opportunities in digital learning centres in communities where IGT operates. As with past iterations, the camp was offered exclusively to beneficiaries of IGT’s ASA partnerships with NGOs and community organisations throughout the Caribbean.
Young people between the ages of 11 and 18 joined the camp to understand and solve real-world problems aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using technology. Students collaborated on group projects creating captivating websites and petitions in support of several critical SDGs that included Zero Hunger, Life Below Water, Good Health and Well-Being, Clean Water and Sanitation, Life On Land, Affordable and Clean Energy, and No Poverty. This approach aligned perfectly with the camp's theme "Think it, Code it, Solve it."
Committed to their studies – these five students joined over 70 others from around the Caribbean focused on mastering new tech skills via IGT’s third virtual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp, 17 - 28 July.
This year’s cohort included students from three of the 18 IGT ASA Centres in Trinidad and Tobago: Credo Boys Developmental Centre, Credo Sophia House and Cotton Tree Foundation. IGT’s training partner The Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI), UWI Mona Campus, delivered the camp concurrently to two learning levels over 10 days in July. New students were introduced to the fundamentals of coding and robotics in Level I, while returning students from last year’s camp joined a more advanced Level II that built upon the basics and introduced AI.
“IGT aims to continually enhance the technological awareness of the region’s young people and prepare them to contribute to the social and infrastructural development of the Caribbean. During the camp, young people from participating ASA Centres in Trinidad and Tobago were virtually connected with others from across five Caribbean countries – Barbados, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Maarten and USVI – all engaged in activities at the same time making for a very rich technological learning exchange,” shared IGT Trinidad and Tobago General Manager Dexter W. Thomas.
Feedback from the camp showed that local students enjoyed this new experience of working with youth from other Caribbean countries to build technological solutions for issues identified in the SDGs. The SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Each student selected an SDG that they wanted to help solve and then worked with others in their group to code, conduct research and collect images to build a website that educated the public on their chosen topic. According to a student from Credo Sophia House, this group project was one of the best parts of the camp because she learnt how to care for the environment while also enhancing her coding skills.
That’s a wrap! A student delivers his vote of thanks to IGT and Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI), UWI Mona Campus to mark the end of the third virtual IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp on 28 July.
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About IGT’s After School Advantage Programme:
After School Advantage (ASA) is the company’s flagship community initiative, devoted to
providing youth with access to technology at digital learning centers in communities where IGT operates. The program ensures students have access to participate in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) educational opportunities while developing the knowledge and
skills for the jobs of tomorrow. Since 2011, IGT and its subsidiaries have opened 40 ASA
computer labs across the English-speaking Caribbean. As part of the Company’s ongoing
commitment to supporting its global communities, IGT aims to continually enhance the technological awareness of students and prepare them to contribute to the social and infrastructural development of the Caribbean.
About IGT Trinidad and Tobago:
As the full-service lottery provider to the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB), IGT
manages the distribution, accounting and validation of the Lottery’s instant ticket business. In addition to lottery and instant ticket services, through VIA, a commercial services company, IGT provides prepaid mobile phone top-up and bill payment services over lottery terminals in Trinidad and Tobago.
Keeping him on track! Nicole Phillip, Credo Boys Developmental Centre Coordinator, supervises a student during the third virtual IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp, 17 - 28 July.
About IGT:
IGT (NYSE:IGT) is the global leader in gaming. We deliver entertaining and responsible gaming experiences for players across all channels and regulated segments, from Lotteries and Gaming Machines to Sports Betting and Digital. Leveraging a wealth of compelling content, substantial investment in innovation, player insights, operational expertise, and leading-edge technology, our solutions deliver unrivalled gaming experiences that engage players and drive growth. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 jurisdictions around the world and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has approximately 10,500 employees. For more information, please visit www.igt.com.