GoodHeart| SCATE Girls in Tech Summer Camp sparks creativity, skills development
Published:Saturday | July 13, 2024 | 12:08 AMKeisha Hill /Senior Gleaner Writer
Despite the rapid growth of the technology industry, there is still an under-representation of women in tech fields. As technology continues to advance and shape our world, the need for computer engineers spans across all sectors, from healthcare to city planning. Therefore, it is crucial to address the gender gap and increase the presence of women in technology, science, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs. Summer Camp Adventures with Technology and Education (SCATE), is helping to bridge the gap with girls in technology, by unearthing students’ greatest potential in technology and education.
The organisation, founded by Amalea Jones of Bold Marketing and Communications, Stacey Hines of EPIC Transformations, and Simone Walker of The Brand Howhz Limited, offers friendly, shared, hands-on practice with technology, training, and programmes in an interactive environment, as well as one-week intensive training and workshop sessions during the summer.
The SCATE Girls in Tech Summer Camp took place from July 8-12 at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus, free of cost to students. The camp was led by volunteers from Hope For Youth Through Providing Education (HYPE), a youth development organisation based in Atlanta, Georgia, that empowers girls of colour to confidently pursue 21st-century careers in computing and technology.
The adventure camp gave over 60 students from various high schools in Kingston and St Andrew, and St Catherine, the opportunity to experience fun, exciting, educational, and technological training while enjoying nature. They were able to bring their imaginations to life while learning competitive skills, and also experience cultural adventures that broadened their creativity.
According to Walker, SCATE is the adventure camp where creativity is encouraged, lives are transformed, memories are made, and lifelong friendships are formed.
“We believe diversity drives and moulds innovation, and, as such, SCATE embraces cultural diversity and international participants with interests in technology, innovation, and education that transform, empower, and challenge students’ creativity and minds. We envision a Jamaica that creates the environment to unearth our student’s greatest potential in technology and education,” Walker told GoodHeart.
HONING TALENT
During the camp, the students engaged in web design, and coding. According to Kristina Newton, founder at HYPE, the organisation exists to inspire every girl to believe she can use her creativity, talent, and gifts to solve real-world problems and make valuable contributions in the world of technology.
“We develop expert-informed computer science and technology curricula and educational materials to support learners in a variety of educational environments. We also create high-quality programming to help girls of colour to develop technology skills, explore high-demand career fields, and define their passions while embracing their creativity and curiosity,” Newton shared.
Their culturally responsive training she said is designed to help boost student involvement and increase the participation of under-represented students in tech fields.
“It was a phenomenal experience. There were two different groups, the participants in Jamaica, and then our trainers who were leaving the United States for the first time. We call it an interactive experience, where everyone can develop themselves as leaders, and understand global awareness relating to information technology,” Newton said, continuing,“They loved the tools, and were quite surprised that learning Web design and coding was not as difficult as it seemed. They are now able to explore their interests in real time.”
Seventeen-year-old Deyonce Buckley, a recent graduate of Wolmer’s Girls’ School, was a bit hesitant at first to participate in the camp. She had designed a Website for her CSEC studies and it took her far longer than she expected to learn the concepts.
“I saw the flyer, and I was surprised that it indicated that we could design and build a website in four days. However, I decided to participate and found the coding was different from what we used in CSEC. It also helped that the class size was much smaller and we had more trainers. We were able to learn a lot faster,” Buckley highlighted.
During the SCATE Girls in Tech Summer Camp, a session was held where over 20 parents were taught about how artificial intelligence works and its applications in daily tasks.
“On our first day, we saw that we had more girls wanting to attend. We felt satisfied that after months of planning the girls were able to receive the training that they need in a competitive global environment,” Jones said.
For more information on SCATE visit www.thescate.com and HYPE www.gethype.org.