Technovation Challenge is a global tech competition that teaches girls how to code and start a business. Its objective is to encourage and inspire adolescent girls to pursue interests (and ultimately careers) in technology fields. Competing for prize money gets girls motivated – who doesn’t want to win?
Teams of 3-5 (aged 12-23) work with a mentor to identify a community problem, create a mobile app to solve it, code the app, build a company to launch the app in the market, and pitch their plan to experts — all in 12 weeks. Whew!
That’s why mentors are essential as facilitators in this accelerated learning process. They also benefit from building new talent within Moldova and helping to solve community problems. Through their coaching, girls will learn AppInventor, a leading app development tool. They’ll also be taught life skills such as how to identify a problem, design and test a solution, collaborate with a team, write a business plan, and communicate to different audiences.
The process finishes up with teams pitching and submitting their ideas (through video) and participating in regional competitions. Ten regional winning teams will travel to San Francisco, CA and compete at the Technovation World Pitch event hosted in June. Total prize money for three levels of competition is $20,000 USD.
After their experience in Technovation Challenge, girls are guaranteed to come away transformed. Help girls expand their horizons – join up as a mentor! Register at: http://goo.gl/iUOF3e. If you want to volunteer in other ways, opportunities are also available on work committees like Marketing & Communications, Business Consulting, IT Support, and Event Planning. Email us at Technovation.moldova@gmail.com.
There’s no better way than Technovation Challenge to expose girls in developing countries to the vast opportunities in information technology. Let’s change the statistics on girls in IT! — http://www.technovationchallenge.org/home/
The project implementation team consists of active representatives from Peace Corps, Fusion Works, Asociatia Femeilor de Afaceri din Balti, Tekedu, ATIC, and JCI. Additional support is expected from CEED, AFAM, and UN Women.
