This week we ran our first workshop with the kids. We introduced them to the programming language Scratch- a visual programming language that allows you to drag blocks of code to allow movement of different characters. We had our reservations about how difficult to make the workshop and whether the kids would respond to it. However, it ended up going really well as a pilot workshop. We gave the children a bit more freedom to play around with the software and they engaged so well with it- using different sprites on scratch and trying out pieces of code we hadn’t even thought to try. It felt like a masterclass in developmental psychology and exploratory learning. However, we did also find several points of improvement in our workshop which we discussed and reworked before running the session again the following day with a different group of kids.
That same day we met local volunteers from UPB for the first time. We introduced SORA to them and got several sign ups on the spot for workshops, live translation as well as making our work more productive long term to keep things going. Six weeks always felt short against everything we wanted to build, so knowing there’d be hands to carry things forward really mattered.
Later in the week we ran an AI workshop which included introducing children to the different positive uses of AI such as in medicine and sports. We took them around the local area in Comuna 13 to compare local graffiti art and AI-generated posters/souvenirs to let them make their own minds up about which they preferred. Overwhelmingly, the graffiti won which said more about the value of human art than we ever could have got with a lecture. We also discussed general AI and digital safety such as which information they should and shouldn’t share online. Finally, we introduced them to Google AI quests- an interactive game showing applications of AI for various world issues.
At the end of the week, we flew to Cartagena (a coastal town in Colombia). Swimming in the warm water and strolling down colourful streets was the perfect treat halfway through the trip!