Last month, our Senior Vice President and Director of New York Kieran McTague attended CivicInteract’s FriendsInTech workshop in Suffolk, NY. CivicInteract is an organization dedicated to bringing together civic scientists and designers to leverage open source data and encourage independent innovations. They contribute to efforts which bring STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) instruction to underserved communities.
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STEAM students enjoying the conference
Photos courtesy of Jewelbots and CivicInteract
CivicInteract’s FriendsInTech workshop was a partnership with Jewelbots, an organization that creates smart, programmable friendship bracelets, and GirlsWhoCode, a nonprofit that educates and equips young girls with computing skills. The free workshop was attended by young girls and focused on female camaraderie in tech. Presenters and activities centered around the meaning and importance of a STEAM education, how STEAM engagement positively impacts a community, and the opportunities it provides young, female minorities. Conference attendees included Sara Chipps, CEO of Jewelbots, Sunita Mahtani, Program Manager of Girls, Inc., Rebecca Lakhani, Book Fairies Executive Director, and Monica Martinez, Suffolk County District 9 Legislator.
To learn more about the critical work these organizations are undertaking, see here: CivicInteract, Jewelbots, GirlsWhoCode.