Technovation
Every year, Technovation challenges teams of girls around the world to learn and apply the skills needed to solve real-world problems for social good using technology. Adult judges and mentors aren’t required or expected to have a technical background beyond possessing curiosity and keeping an open mind to learn along with the students. A comprehensive training is provided during the onboarding and an easy to follow curriculum guides you through every step. The lessons are broken down into 12 weeks but you can progress at your own pace. It’s truly satisfying to watch students work through the entire process from brainstorming ideas, designing & building a prototype, writing a business plan, all the way to pitching the product.
Team Mentoring
I was fortunate enough to mentor Team Code Work Ahead through the pandemic. Despite turbulent times, their enthusiasm and creativity was impressive. Initially, we met weekly, but during the onset & confusion of the lockdown, the online meetings became daily while schools were still sorting themselves out. A detailed log of the entire planning processing was kept. Ultimately, their hard work paid off as the Rooting for You app was the North America Regional Winner in 2020!
Judging
For the last few years, I’ve served as judge advisor to help evaluate submissions following a clear set of rubrics. It’s also a chance to offer encouraging feedback to all those inspirational ideas and amazing projects coming from all corners of the world. The annual World Summit is always an exciting culmination to celebrate all the hard work and accomplishments. Check out the next Summit on August 12!