TeenTech helps young people understand the opportunities in science, technology and engineering industries, no matter what their gender or social background.
This summer, the WCIT Charity funded TeenTech to provide online workshops for students aged 10-18.
The coding games masterclass took place over four days and was aimed at absolute beginners. The sessions explained the concepts behind programming and creating apps and games through practical, hands-on workshops. No additional software was required as each project could be completed in a web browser.
The animation masterclasses offered a week of free animation activities including interviews with industry experts. Again, the sessions were hands-on, and students could join in using web-based or free, downloadable apps to create storyboards, film an animation, and edit their film.
Despite these sessions being made as accessible as possible, the organisation was concerned that some of the most disadvantaged students might not easily be able to access sessions in their home environment and so it also ran an additional in-person workshop at the Waterhead Academy in Oldham.
In total, 265 students joined the coding sessions, 142 joined the animation sessions and a further 220 students participated at the Waterhead Academy. The feedback from all three events was overwhelmingly positive, with 95% agreeing that the sessions had developed their coding and game-making skills. Students, teachers and parents appreciated the high production values and the opportunity for interactivity and support, and TeenTech plans to run more online and in-person digital skills courses regionally and nationally as funding allows.
“It’s been amazing! I would like to thank you for this fantastic opportunity and I hope you will continue to make more fantastic sessions like these in the future. Thank you!”
Student
