This initiative, led locally by Women in Tech Sri Lanka, aims to inspire teens to explore future pathways in technology and Artificial Intelligence through collaborative, hands-on learning experiences.
Running from February to April 2024, the campaign aligns with a shared mission alongside valued partners to leverage technology in building a more equitable world - one where every young person has the opportunity to unlock their full potential, drive innovation, and create positive societal impact.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Women in Tech Sri Lanka leads the local execution of the annual, globally distributed Teens in AI Global Techathon, empowering Sri Lankan teens aged 12 to 18 to collaboratively address real-world challenges using AI and Data Science for social good.
This hackathon-style programme is delivered as a virtual hybrid experience, with challenges aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encouraging purpose-driven innovation among the next generation of tech leaders.
Teens in AI Founder and CEO, Elena Sinel, adds:
“Addressing the disparities relating to diversity and representation that currently exist within the AI and tech industries is crucial to ensure a future that reflects a diversity of voices and eliminates existing biases.
Our goal is to equip teens from diverse backgrounds with skills early on, exposing them to technology's potential for social good.
Embracing equity is imperative now more than ever, especially for girls. ‘Inspiring Inclusion’ is at the heart of what we do.”
For over a century, International Women's Day has been celebrated, serving as a profound source of inspiration for Teens in AI’s IWD campaign, especially so this year with its 2024 campaign theme, 'Inspire Inclusion'.
This sentiment seamlessly reinforces a core tenet of the Teens in AI mission, actively shaping an inclusive AI ecosystem through the provision of essential elements such as AI literacy, education, and awareness initiatives.
The principle of Inclusion by Design lies at the heart of this mission.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2023** from the World Economic Forum highlights a stark reality : only 29.2% of STEM roles are occupied by women, with a similar percentage observed for those in AI.
AI is “roughly 4 percentage points higher than it was in 2016” indicating that growth in this sector was “progressing very slowly”, underscoring the urgency to address and rectify this disparity in the sector.
The IWD2024 Global Techathon will see participants come together from more than 75 locations around the world from the UK, Europe and the USA, to India, Egypt, Azerbaijan to Argentina, Mongolia and Australia!
They will immerse themselves in a challenging, hands-on tech experience that allows them to explore careers in AI, data science and design thinking; and learn how these emerging fields intersect with other industries.
This year, Teens in AI is set to expand its IWD programme of events, kicking off with Inspiration Week in February and its inaugural Bootcamp later in the month (coinciding with ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’); two Global Techathon Weekends in March (aligning with ‘International Women’s Day’); and in April, a Virtual Panel and Networking event, concluding the programme on 25 April 2024 with the International Demo Day (coinciding with ‘International Girls in Information and Communications Technology Day’).
For more details visit https://www.teensinai.com/global-techathon/.
Photo Caption : Sheron Kitchilan, Local Ambassador, Teens in AI Sri Lanka and Community Manager at Women in Tech Sri Lanka (L) and Sanali Kaushalya, Co-Ambassador, Teens in AI Sri Lanka and Country Director at Women in Tech Sri Lanka.