Photo courtesy of Bricks 4 Kidz
Whenever we receive information on camps and classes to post on our Activities Calendar for Kids, it’s always great to see hear about organizations that are trying to do something a little bit different to encourage our children to engage in new and exciting activities.
So, we were especially pleased to hear recently from two local companies, both of which have been offering classes for children for many years now, but who have decided to take up the challenge of getting more girls involved in science and technology activities, and helping them reach their full potential.
Free places for girls at Bricks 4 Kidz!
The first of these, Bricks 4 Kidz, has committed to offering one free place for a girl on every day that it runs a holiday activity at its centre in Saint. Sulpice. So in 2018, that means there are 50 free places for girls to attend one of their highly engaging camps for a day!
For those who are unfamiliar with their concept, Bricks 4 Kidz camps provide a fresh and fun way for kids aged 4 to 13 to spend their school break. Guided by experienced teachers working on themes like Amusement Parks, Space and Robotics, children use LEGO® Bricks to build specially-designed Bricks 4 Kidz models, play LEGO® games and explore the world of engineering, architecture and animated movie-making.
Annie STEDMAN, Manager of the Swiss Romande region, told knowitall.ch, “Although International Women's Day is celebrated on the 8th March, we believe that it is an ongoing commitment to stand up for equal opportunities. We want to encourage girls to take an interest in S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) so that they have the same opportunities as boys to access a career in science and technology.”
Registrations for the free places will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. You can see the dates and themes of the upcoming camps for spring and summer 2018 by clicking here. There are too many options to list in this article, but with topics such as Pocket Brick Monsters for 4 year olds, WeDo ROBOTICS for 6 to 8 year olds, and Video Game Design for kids aged 9 and above, it shouldn’t be difficult to choose!
Once you’ve selected your date, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to contact the center in Saint-Sulpice and and let them know which day you would like your budding engineer to attend. Please note that Bricks 4 Kidz activities are offered simultaneously in French and English to help boost language skills.
50% off April camps for girls at FutureKids!
Given the low participation of girls on its technology camps, the organization FutureKids has also decided to do something about this global problem of recruiting women into science and technology roles.
Photo courtesy of FutureKids
Director, Caroline Weber, told knowitall.ch, “There is no doubt that women are under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. According to UNESCO, only 29 women graduated for every 1000 degrees obtained in computer science in Europe in 2015, and only 4 in 1000 had a career in this field!”
So, to help change the situation, the IT camp specialists are now offering a 50% discount to all girls who register on one of their upcoming April camps in Geneva, Nyon and Lausanne. With themed camps focusing on robotics, computer science, and video game creation there is plenty to keep your daughter amused. On their website there are over 20 different courses from which to choose including, in April, robotics for 5 to 8 year olds, games animation for 8 – 12 year olds, and app development for 12 – 16 year olds.
Click on the links below to find a course near you:
Please note that when you book a place for your child on their website, the 50% discount is not immediately taken into account. You will see the discount on the bill that is sent to you later.
Opportunities for boys too!
Of course there are lots of great opportunities for boys too at both the centers mentioned above. Just click on the websites for each organization (https://www.bricks4kidz.ch/vaud and https://futurekids.io/ to see the full range of camps and classes offered at their various centers throughout Geneva and Vaud.
Given the popularity of their courses, both organizations are expanding with new course centers being added on a regular basis. At the time of writing, Bricks 4 Kidz has centers in Saint-Sulpice, Geneva (Right and Left banks), Nyon area and Montreux, while FutureKids has centers listed locally in Geneva, Nyon and Lausanne.
Bricks 4 Kidz
021 545 99 57
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https://www.bricks4kidz.ch/vaud/?lang=en
FutureKids
021 601 14 27
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https://futurekids.io/
