Let’s help New Zealand’s next gen rule the world… the I.T. world!
Remember the moment you figured out what you wanted to do with your life? Or are you still waiting? Technovation is that moment for thousands of girls around the world. This global education programme challenges girls aged 10 to 18 to identify and solve real-world problems. And what happens on that journey is life-changing.
Since 2010, more than 23,000 girls from 100+ countries have participated in Technovation. With the help of volunteer mentors, they've produced mobile apps that have helped address problems in local and global communities.
Each year more and more girls take up the challenge but we know that there are always more problems to solve … and that there are girls everywhere ready to solve them so Think Concepts want to help spread the Technovation Challenge message across New Zealand as registrations open for the 2020 challenge.
On the surface, this is an IT challenge, but it’s not just about coding. The teams must work across the many different roles within IT, such as marketing, finance and account management. The teams try to solve a particular problem in their community using a mobile app and then market it. Along the way, the girls learn about technology, entrepreneurship, research, and – ultimately – how to launch a business.
Think Concepts came onboard as a sponsor last year with CEO Ahlam AyoubZadeh jumping in as a team mentor. “My team, Code Yellow, wanted to encourage healthy, positive thinking in young people because they know how tough life can seem at this age,” she says proudly.
“They devised an app called MindScape, where a user chooses a seed and then ‘grows’ a virtual plant by inputting something they’re grateful for each day. After seven days, the user gets to see the product of their positive input: a flower.” How cool is that?
It's clear that AyoubZadeh is proud of what her team achieved. With only six weeks to complete the project, Ahlam says the experience was ‘go, go, go’ right from the start. “But I didn’t regret it for a second. I actually remember thinking, ‘this is so full on, it’s ridiculous – I have no free time!’ But I was loving every minute of it,” she admits.
Registrations have opened for the 2020 Technovation Challenge and Ahlam is running a Q & A session via Zoom this Saturday at 1pm. This session is for girls who are interested in the program and would like to know more.
Help spread the word to anyone who you think would be interested… pass it on to those cousins, friends or families with daughters aged 10-18. It’s also a great idea to let teachers and your local school know so they can promote it too.
Think Concepts wants the next Technovation Challenge to be that moment that shows a young New Zealander what they are capable of. Our vision is to inspire girls to be leaders and problem solvers in their lives and their community.