TechnoYouth

TechnoYouth was conceived in 1996 as an outreach project specifically aimed at underprivileged youth from black townships near Pretoria. TechnoYouth reaches out to these children and introduces them to technology in a fun, friendly and informal manner.

Workshops are run over three days from 09:00 to 15:00 for between 15 and 30 youngsters per workshop. Participants are introduced to technology by means of audio-visual presentations and a set of hand-outs that they get to keep to reinforce what they have learnt and to encourage further interest. They are introduced to basic hand tools and materials and shown how to apply these in a practical way. They then select and construct technology projects using special constructor kits and materials supplied during practical hands-on sessions. These sessions are interspersed with video shows, guided tours through the museum, science shows and a visit to another nearby museum.

TechnoYouth aims to make participants aware of the fact that sooner or later they will encounter many forms of technology especially when they join the job market. It is an objective to introduce technology to those youth, who may otherwise not be exposed to modern technology, at an early age in their lives. A secondary objective is to make them aware of stimulating and rewarding career opportunities that will exist for them later on if they opt for science and technology subjects at school. TechnoYouth workshops strive to identify latent talent or interest in science, engineering and technology disciplines.

The target group is young people at senior-primary and junior high school level who have not had the opportunity to get to know about science and technology because of poor economic and under resourced schooling conditions. They come from disadvantaged communities and have most likely never been confronted with high technology.