International Game Technology (IGT) in collaboration with Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) will be implementing a renewal of its coding and robotics summer programme, dubbed the “IGT Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp” across the Caribbean. The first session of this camp is slated for July 20 – 29 and the second will be held August 15 – 26.
This year’s camp will be hosted under the theme, “Youth Coding for a Sustainable Caribbean” to focus on technological innovations that are capable of reducing social and environmental issues and fuelling sustainable growth within the region.
Similar to the 2021 staging, the camp will feature 36 participants from IGT After School Advantage (ASA) Centres in the English-speaking Caribbean. Antigua and Nevis, as the two newest participating countries, will join the other participating islands of Barbados, Jamaica, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, and Trinidad & Tobago to increase the number of participating countries to seven.
Brendan Hames, Regional Director, IGT Caribbean, said the event, first staged last year, is geared toward introducing and equipping youth with marketable programming skills.
“There is a growing realization among educators that teaching coding and robotics to children and youth will give them valuable skills for life and expose them to innovative uses of technology,” said Hames.
He continued, “Through the IGT Coding & Robotics Rock! Camp, we hope to give our young participants these skills and to guide them in channelling the skillset and their innovativeness towards national development across the Caribbean.”
Hames further explained that given the success of the 2021 Camp, and to better achieve the objectives of this year’s programme, IGT and MGI have decided to deliver the training at two levels: The cohort from last year’s Camp along with newcomers who already have introductory knowledge in coding, will participate in a more advanced two-week camp (Level II) aiming to build upon the fundamentals learnt in 2021. The new incoming cohort (Level I) will be introduced to the fundamentals of coding and robotics.
Dr. Ava Maxam, Acting Executive Director at MGI, said the institute was positive that the training had helped to instil in the youngsters an appreciation of the potential that existed in that particular field of technology.
“Whether as entrepreneurs or on the corporate level, there is tremendous interest in coding and robotics as career options, and the camp has successfully tapped into and stimulated this even further,” Maxam noted. “We have great expectations for a successful renewal.”
IGT has consistently played a leading role in increasing access to technology and internet connectivity for youth in underserved communities through its After School Advantage (ASA) programme. Since 2011, IGT and its subsidiaries have opened some 39 ASA computer labs across the English-speaking Caribbean. Through this and other initiatives, IGT aims to continually enhance the technological awareness of students and prepare them to contribute to the social and infrastructural development of the Caribbean.
