On the 4th of May, the Technovation Girls Ireland Regional Pitch event, organised by Teen-Turn and hosted by AMD in Citywest, became a beacon of inspiration and social responsibility. Over 50 teams from around the country came together to present their projects, each a unique app they coded themselves designed to address social issues in their areas, such as housing, environmental, and medical challenges. This year saw the first beginner category entrants, primary school students, with their climate themed project. It was also brilliant to see the development in the participants that had been involved in previous Teen-Turn events.
The day was filled with excitement and joy, as the girls participated in a variety of activities including table tennis, karaoke, drawing, as well as engaging with robotics and AMD AI demos. It was a day that celebrated not only technological innovation but also the spirit of community and fun.
A huge thank you is extended to everyone from the CWIT member companies for their support. AMD’s role in hosting the event and Áine Heffernan and Noel Brady‘s participation as judges, IBM‘s Matteo Scardaccione as a judge, and Vodafone‘s contribution of prizes were all integral to the event’s success. Additionally, a special thanks to Microsoft for their guidance in the lead-up to the event, drawing from their wealth of experience from previous years.
We are grateful to Ashleigh Conway from Microsoft for her leadership in running CWIT volunteering with Teen-Turn and wish her successor, Annika Paul, also from Microsoft, the best of luck. Their efforts have been crucial in motivating the CWIT mentors from member companies such as Accenture, AMD, CarTrawler, Dell Technologies, IBM, Microsoft, New Relic, Vodafone, and Workday.
The event was brilliantly MC’d by Harry McCann, whose humour and charisma kept everyone entertained throughout the day. Additionally, Tammy Darcy from the Shona Project delivered a moving keynote speech, sharing her personal story and the background to the Shona project.
A heartfelt thanks to the Teen-Turn team – Margaret, Joanne, Jacquie, Iseult, Sarah, Kaye, Oisin and Dahab and all the Teen-Turn mentors – for their dedication and mentorship.
The winners of the event will now proceed to the next stage in the Technovation competition, with the potential to progress to the finals in California. We fondly remember last year’s finalists, the Bongos from Cork, who made Ireland proud with their exceptional performance.
As we look forward to the bright future these young innovators will shape, we celebrate the success of the Technovation event and the collaborative spirit it embodies. CWIT is honoured to support Teen-Turn’s mission to empower girls through technology, and we eagerly anticipate the innovations these talented individuals will bring to our world.
Photo Credit: Robbie Reynolds
