STEM LEARNING AT IGT’S ANNUAL CODING AND ROBOTICS CAMP

In July 2024, International Game Technology (IGT), a global leader in gaming, hosted its fourth annual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp in Trinidad and Tobago.  Local students joined more than 70 Caribbean youth in applying technological solutions to the region's climate issues. The camp is a STEM training initiative for Caribbean youth aged 12 to 18, and is fully funded by IGT for beneficiaries of its After School Advantage (ASA) Programme.

“Through the Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp, IGT aims to raise interest in STEM learning and create opportunities for a wider cross-section of youth,” said Dexter Thomas, IGT Trinidad and Tobago General Manager. “This year, the camp was offered to new and returning students from four of IGT’s local NGO partners in the ASA Programme. The camp builds technological awareness while encouraging youth to understand and think about real-world issues affecting our region.”

Under the 2024 theme “Climate Action: Think it, Code it, Solve it”, campers were introduced to climate change and natural disasters that impact the Caribbean region. The students who participated last year joined at a more advanced level (Level II) that introduced AI and a practical robotics lesson. New students received introductory training (Level I) that covered the basics of coding and robotics. For the final project, students teamed up to present digital solutions to a particular climate issue affecting the Caribbean.

“Credo Foundation for Justice has participated in several Coding and Robotics Rock! Camps, and this year proved to be an even more exciting and educational experience for its boys and girls,” said Ms. Dale Bartholomew, Administrator at the Credo Foundation for Justice. “I am seeing the students approach math and science in a way that suggests they understand the importance of those skills to succeeding in a digital world.”

For the course material, IGT collaborate with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) and receives curriculum development guidance from Lecturer in Education (Teaching of Mathematics) Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha from the Faculty of Education at the UWI, St. Augustine Campus. At the camp’s conclusion, IGT hosted a graduation ceremony at the Cotton Tree Foundation in St. Anns and presented certificates of completion to all camp participants.

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