Even at her young age, Victory is no stranger to publicity. Earlier this year, she was offered 19 full scholarships to study at North American universities (She ended up picking MIT). But hers is no rags-to-riches story. The eldest daughter of two smart parents, a university lecturer mother and a father who works in procurement and supply chain management, Victory has always pushed herself to the limit. “My mother taught me how to hustle, and without this scholarship I could never have afforded to study in the U.S.,” she points out.

Youth Ambassador and IT Role Model for Girls

Victory is looking forward to getting involved in this year’s , of which she is the official youth ambassador. Girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have traditionally lagged behind boys, which is why 51ˇçÁ÷and Camden Education Trust, the founders of Africa Code Week, are on a mission to make a difference – one African community at a time. Now in its seventh year, the program was proud to report 47% female participation in 2020. The event, which includes the popular AfriCANCode Challenge, has an enormous reach of 54 countries, with millions of children and youth participating. Last year, the program completely shifted to the exciting online world due to COVID-19.

“I participate in digital youth skills initiatives like Africa Code Week because I am passionate about empowering young people in underserved communities,” she says. Last year, she created an educational video encouraging children to learn computer programming with Scratch, MIT’s free online learning tool for coding. “Scratch is how I was introduced to coding,” she says, mentioning all its various applications that make it fun for kids, from interactive stories and games to animations. Scratch forms an integral part of Africa Code Week, encouraging teachers and African governments to see how easy it is to get kids into coding and fast-track them to the 21^st century. To date, nine countries have adopted coding as a school subject thanks to the ongoing awareness, support, and contributions from the Africa Code Week program.

A proud, female code representative, Victory wears many hats and keeps herself busy with multiple projects. In addition to Africa Code Week, she is actively involved with , a nonprofit organization that promotes ICT development, youth innovation, and entrepreneurship across Africa.

“My first introduction to Coderina was during the pandemic last year. I helped facilitate the Lifelong Learning Program (LLP) sessions where young people were able to learn from a virtual space about everything digital skills related, from coding to 3D printing. I also taught a class during this period on design thinking and innovation. This year, I was a coach to the First Lego League (FLL) team comprising of a group of girls in secondary school in Nigeria. FLL is an exciting international robotics competition that is largely driven by Coderina.”

Passionate About Finding Solutions

When asked what she likes about coding, Victory is unequivocal: she wants to find solutions. “I love the challenge of being given a problem and using technology to find a way to solve it,” she says. In 2019, she was part of the winning African team in the global mobile app building competition, Technovation. “The problem we had to solve was double parking, which is common in Nigeria,” she explains. “We developed an app that uses location sensors to enable your phone to pick up whenever another car parks you in, so you can step outside and speak to the owner or can communicate with the owner via instant messaging on the app.”

It is this same passion for solving problems that has made her pursue a career in computer science and molecular biology. “There are so many different applications of these novel, overlapping fields, from aspects of synthetic biology to RNA sequencing in bioinformatics,” she says. Some of the questions that interest her are whether DNA can be used to store digital data and what machine learning tools can be used to model a vaccine to tackle the next variant of the coronavirus.

One thing she’s sure about is that she doesn’t want to be put in a box. “Too many young people are fixated about their future career, wanting to become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer,” she says. “So many things are unconventional now. Rather than having a fixed profession, I want to say, ‘I do computational biology and it allows me to proffer solutions to this and that.’” Having a problem-solving mindset will elevate young Africans to be the change they want to see in the world, she believes – with a little bit of help from technology, of course.

Adam Hunter is EMEA communications lead for 51ˇçÁ÷CSR.

In the 1940s, Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian biochemist Albert Szent-Gyoergyi wrote: “The future will be like the schools are today.” In 2021, these words still ring true, even more so for the winners of the European Code League competition, Dr. Corina Toma and Mihaela Giurgea, along with their students from Tiberiu Popoviciu High School of Computer Science in Romania. Second and third place went to teams from Turkey and Greece.

Change Is the Only Constant, but Changemakers Are Ever Changing

The pandemic has been quite a revelation in this aspect, with unexpected and seemingly limitless opportunities presenting themselves and youth grabbing them with both hands.

According to a report by the World Economic Forum, around 65% of children who start primary school today will work in professions that do not even exist yet: their future lies in the hands of educators. To date, Science on Stage reaches about 100,000 teachers and teacher trainers in over 30 countries, providing a necessary network to exchange ideas and to scale them across Europe. And with 79% of participating teachers implementing the teaching ideas they’ve seen at Science on Stage festivals over the years, European Code League has proven that it’s possible for teachers and students to work together — even in the midst of a pandemic — to create inspiring, real-world science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects.

Organized by Science on Stage with the support of the 51ˇçÁ÷Corporate Social Responsibility (51ˇçÁ÷CSR) team in Middle Eastern Europe, the European Code League is a competition to which teacher-student teams with innovative coding projects can apply. It was launched in 2020 as a follow up to Science on Stage’s .

“Science on Stage gave me the opportunity to find new ways to motivate my students to learn physics using ICT,” says Dr. Toma, who became a teacher after 10 years working as a physicist. “Physics is everywhere and happens at any time. In the classroom, I am at home. I like to talk with my students and explain all kinds of topics.”

Science on Stage Europe is a network for STEM teachers focusing on the exchange of best practice teaching ideas. The ultimate goal is to improve STEM teaching by supporting educators in their professional development and growth.

“Teachers are often the ideas, the starting point. Students who finish high school do not know what their role in the world will be,” Dr Toma adds. “These projects show how important it is to code, and also to learn STEM subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology.”

CaeliBox, the winning coding project, used sensors to measure different air parameters such as concentration of CO2, humidity, pressure, temperature, noise, and other noxious substances in the studennts’ town. The data was transferred to a server so the students could access and work with it at any time.

“My town in Romania used to be small but now it is very big. As a result, the air is polluted because we have so many cars. CaeliBox is a useful device for STEM education and our students were happy to combine coding with physics and technology,” explains Dr. Toma, who adds that she faced many challenges trying to complete the project, from broken sensors to realizing they needed more space and swapping out their Arduino Uno for an Arduino Mega.

For Dr. Toma, Science on Stage is far more than a networking opportunity for teachers, it’s a community of like-minded educators: “At first, I saw that the education in Romania is very different from other countries, but then I realized that as teachers we have the same goals and can make the same activities. Science on Stage is a community to challenge our ideas and to understand that we are in the same place. 51ˇçÁ÷can be very proud for supporting STEM teaching training in Europe.”

There is no one way to make the world a better place. By helping discover and promote innovative teaching concepts among Europe’s science teachers, Science on Stage and the European Code League enable more students to gain the digital skills they need for a challenging future and encourage them to consider a career in science, ICT or engineering to help the positively change the world.

In a world shaped increasingly by technology and digitalization, teachers make the difference and the youth of today have so many more opportunities to learn and be the change.

The 12th European Science on Stage festival takes place March 24-27, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic. Stay tuned to see amazing youth in action, redefining how a career in science, ICT, or engineering can help make a positive change in the world.

According to Mariya Gabriel, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education, and Youth, it is necessary to make enormous changes in digital education.

An earnest attempt to increase digital literacy across Europe is what sparked the creation of Meet and Code in 2017, with the aim to ignite interest into the world of technology and coding and empower youth to shape their digital future. Fast forward a few years later and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Meet and Code continues to connect and engage with children and youth and has successfully delivered 1,325 online events across 35 European countries in 2020, reaching more than 39,500 learners from 500 cities.

Europe’s Favorite Digital Skills Youth Initiative Turns Five

Now in its fifth year, Meet and Code returns with an exciting virtual twist. Specially aligned to in October, Meet and Code will support with digital coding events reaching far and wide. for local non-profits across Europe to submit their coding event concepts for ages eight to 24 and could receive up to €500 in funding. Registration for funding is open until September 8, 2021.

“Since the beginning of time, humans have created with stone, iron, paper, and pencil,” says Alessandro Bogliolo, EU Code Week Ambassadors Coordinator. “Now we live in a different era, where we mold our world in code. During Code Week we want to give everyone the opportunity to discover coding and have fun with it.”

In addition to the online workshops, Meet and Code also hosts an awards ceremony to honor the most creative event ideas to get youth excited about coding. Once again, this year’s initiative will call upon local non-profits to submit their unique coding events linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). The most successful workshops will not only be acknowledged and celebrated, but will also receive prize money for their hard work and efforts.

Celebrating EU Code Week, Fabrizia Benini, deputy director of Digital Transformation at the European Commission says, “In October, EU Code Week will again celebrate creativity, problem solving, and innovation and bring coding to millions of young people in Europe and beyond. A special focus will be placed on reaching schools. To empower as many young people as possible, EU Code Week collaborates with organizations such as Meet and Code.”

Five Ways Tech-Savvy Youth Can Shape the Future

Digital technologies are a staple in everyday life; they are also transforming European schools and classrooms. Youth today need digital skills to be ready for the future. The 21st century is centered around computational technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics.

Coding is one way to expose youth to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) topics from an early age so that they can develop skills and expertise to fulfill their professional and personal aspirations.

1. Coding teaches programming fundamentals and formal logic. At its core, children learn how to break down a problem into essential elements and create a solution. Coding sharpens problem-solving skills and increases focus.
2. Coding prepares kids for an increasingly technology-based future. Many jobs involve understanding the limitations and capabilities of code — from design to e-commerce, architecture, and data science.
3. Coding provides an empowering skill set and supports developing confidence. In a world that is constantly asking us to adapt to new technologies and digital innovations, children who code will better understand what software they use, what it can do, and why.
4. Learning how to code helps children better understand how the world around them works, because code is used in everyday life.
5. Coding is one of the most widely used languages in the world. If a child can learn computational thinking and design patterns while learning to code, they will be able to code in any coding language.

Behind Meet and Code are founding partners SAP, , and , with the respective country partners of the TechSoup Europe network. In 2020, the joined as a European partner. Haus des Stiftens gGmbH is responsible for the overall initiative.

Coding is one of the many digital tools that is redefining the youth and changing the world as we know it

Inspired to bring a change? Find out more about Meet and Code, apply for funding, and get involved by visiting . Connect on , , and using the hashtags #SAP4Good #MeetandCode and #CodeEU.

Adam Hunter is communications lead for 51ˇçÁ÷CSR EMEA.

“A refugee is someone who survived and who can create the future.”

–Amela Koluder

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), education and work in the MENA region will determine the livelihoods of more than 300 million people along with driving growth and development for generations to come. However, the current reality in the job market is economically unsustainable.

Batoul Husseini is the director of Government Affairs for the Middle East North and and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) lead for MENA at SAP. She is both ambitious and innovative, a digital inclusion trailblazer.

Husseini is responsible for the strategic development of the company’s government relations activities, promoting both technological transformation in the public sector and the positive role played by digital technologies in addressing economic and societal challenges around the world.

Husseini launched Refugee Code Week in 2016 at the World Humanitarian Summit. It is now known as Digital Skills for Today, a CSR collaboration among SAP, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Injaz Al Arab, ReBootKamp, and Re:Coded. While providing digital skills and training for refugees and youths, Digital Skills for Today also strives to train local nationals to meet the current market demand for skilled professionals in information and communications technology (ICT), the fastest-growing sector of the economy.

“The initiative took off,” she says. “During my visits to host coding workshops at different refugee camps, I saw how little things can be everything and beauty can be created from nothing. People used art to normalize the desert-like environment, they painted nature and water scenes on camp fences, and discarded bottles were repurposed as flowerpots. Nothing was taken for granted.”

Digital Skills for Today addresses several critical regional challenges, including youth unemployment, inadequate workforce readiness, social injustice, and a lack of digital skills training. It provides training for youth as they rebuild their lives with tolerance, courage, and perseverance.

“Especially in and around conflict zones, youth often face limited employment prospects and an inadequate or non-existent education system,” Husseini explains. “The initiative directly improves quality of life for beneficiaries by providing in-demand skills for the 21st century job market. Furthermore, it has valuable social outcomes, decreasing unemployment rates in marginalized populations and providing long-term opportunities for digital innovation and entrepreneurship.”

The program is also about helping young people, including refugees, leapfrog their situation through intensive code training that leads to job placement. This is why 51ˇçÁ÷works with and to turn literacy into expertise and expertise into employment.

“The initiative has introduced coding to over 45,000 young refugees and nationals across 14 countries since it was launched in 2016,” Husseini adds. “More than 900 graduates have found gainful employment in Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq. Bringing about new skills and expertise in conflict-affected areas is essential to the development and reconstruction of those regions. We aim to reveal the many potential coding heroes that only lack the opportunity to improve their lives and build their own future. Our hands-on learning material and training sessions allow quick insertion into the workforce, thus shaping an entire generation of tech-savvy professionals.”

Passionate about communications and language, Husseini speaks Arabic, English, and Dutch, and has a master’s degree in international business along with holding various qualifications in economics, business administration and computer information systems.

Her work with refugees has only cemented her desire to utilize digital platforms to make a difference. In recognition of her goal to increase ICT awareness both locally and globally, Husseini was named the World Summit Awards special ambassador to Asia and she works closely with the organization to achieve its mission: promoting the world’s best e-content and innovative ICT applications and ultimately contributing to a true knowledge society.

“Today, I have a deep appreciation that everything I have is a privilege and I could lose it through no fault of my own,” she shares. “Growing up in Syria, I learned the importance of standing up for others and felt compelled to make a bigger impact. 51ˇçÁ÷provided me with this opportunity, and for this year I’m excited to announce our virtual volunteering opportunities for staff, where they can provide expert skills and guidance to our NGOs and partners on the ground.”

In closing, Husseini adds, “World Refugee Day is an incredibly significant day. Together with our partners, we can raise empathy, mobilize action, showcase solidarity, and create inclusion for minority groups — all to ultimately improve people’s lives and make the world run better.”

For information about Digital Skills for Today, visit .