Camara Education Ireland has received a €530,000 grant from Google.org to deliver computer science training, equipment, and support for its national TechSpace network delivered with Foroige.
More than 300 youth workers and 48 senior managers in 60 Foroige youth groups around the will benefit from the donation.
TechSpace aims to inspire young people to get creative with technology, and to gain new skills through ‘learning by doing’.
Some 400,000 young people engaged with the youth sector every year, the partnership between Camara and Foroige is designed to have a major impact on how technology is used in youth groups across the country.
Sixty new TechSpace sites will be established in Foroige youth groups, including in Ringsend and Pearse Street, adjacent to Google’s EMEA headquarters.
Youth workers will also be offered a bursary to complete a Level 8 National University of Ireland Certificate in Digital Creativity in Youth Settings which will include a module in computer science education.
Additionally, the project will create a computer science in Youth Work Toolkit to be made available to youth workers nationwide, containing best practices, activity guidelines and resources.
Marianne Checkley, CEO, Camara Ireland, said: “We are really proud to be part of this innovative project that expands the use of technology as a catalyst for youth development. Digital media and new technologies can be wonderful tools to ignite young people’s curiosity, creativity and confidence. Used effectively they can enhance social awareness and contribute to an ability to engage as active citizens. They can also help to build young people’s sense of agency and enable them to develop new knowledge and skills, and provide platforms for their voices to be heard.”
Sean Campbell, CEO, Foroige, said: “This exciting initiative… will challenge young people to harness their innate interest in technology for the betterment of their own lives, their communities and society. In many ways, computer science has become as important as reading, writing and maths, making this partnership between Camara Ireland, Foroige and Google hugely important.”
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