CODE Kids FEST 2021 has brought together 13 teams from 10 counties, formed of 72 children aged between 10 and 14. 580 participants from all regions of Romania entered the competition and the prizes amounted to 10,000 lei.
CODE Kids FEST is an IT and STEM event organized by the Progress Foundation, within the CODE Kids – Plan the future of your community! program. In 2022, the Progress Foundation will set up at least 50 new CODE Kids clubs. Any group of at least 7 children who want to learn to program for free can join the clubs.
“We, the Progress Foundation, are implementing solutions that increase the quality of Romanian education and help children develop skills that will serve them in life and their career. At CODE Kids, children are developing their digital and STEM skills, and, most importantly, they are developing practical solutions for their community. To do that, they need to take an interest in community issues, talk to other people and their own families. Children are highly motivated by the practical applicability of their solutions, which engages them and increases their intellectual ardor. Their projects stimulate their practical thinking, their creativity, their ability to innovate, their lateral thinking, their ability to maintain interpersonal connections. Moreover, children are developing their leadership and teamwork skills, project presentation skills, self-confidence, and, most importantly, they often change their choice of profession, because they see more options for their future “, says Dr. Camelia Crișan, CEO of the Progress Foundation.
On the virtual podium of the National Science and Technology Fair for Children, CODE Kids FEST 2021, climbed three teams from Tulcea, Vâlcea, and Brașov, with digital projects that propose solutions for problems in their community in fields such as health, education, environment, transport or agriculture.
The 1st place and the Popularity Award went to the Cerna’s Coders team, from Cerna commune, Tulcea county. Lucian, Marius, and Luiza designed Smart Irrigation V2, a project that supports farmers who grow plants in greenhouses. The project consists of an automatic watering system, based on a humidity sensor that is inserted into the soil and a water pump that starts when the sensor sends the signal that the soil needs water. The jury appreciated their project as impactful and immediately applicable. Moreover, the children received a first request for the product they have developed, from a local farmer who wants the Smart Irrigation system in his solarium. Watch the video about the project here.
Read more information in the Business-review.eu article!
