Giving A Gift Of Tech!

On December 9, 2023, The UWI St Augustine campus hosted more than twenty-five children from underserved communities for a day that was half tech talk, half Christmas party. Director Abigail Wren opened with the point of it all: technology is how opportunities get created for our youth.

ICT experts Ria Jack and Richard Ince shared what working in technology actually looks like, and the demos stole the show — robotics and Raspberry Pi builds from scholarship winner Sarah Sellier and computer scientist Nicholas Mendez. For most of the room it was their first time seeing a robot up close, let alone one they were allowed to touch.

Then came a “tech” Santa with gifts sponsored by Republic Bank Ltd, and a Christmas lunch set to pannist music. Since 2013 the foundation has worked to bridge the technology skills gap for marginalised groups in Trinidad — some days that looks like a classroom, and some days it looks like Christmas.