Preparation for Summer Tech Camp 2019 is Well Underway!

Written by DSH intern, Ms. Saloua El Haouti 

Our team preparing to receive summer camp beneficiaries 

After the huge success that the first edition of the Summer Tech Camp had achieved, the program’s team members have planned for another prosperous edition with the same objectives. Dar Si Hmad’s summer camp targets middle school girls from underprivileged families and aims at introducing these young teenagers to the basics of Information Technology literacy.

With that objective in mind, the Summer Tech camp team headed to Abdelali Benchkroun Middle School in Ben Sergaou, one of the least served areas in the suburbs of the city of Agadir. In this educational institution, many students are unaware of the fundamentals of using a computer. In fact, most of them don’t even have one in their homes and thus far fail to turn it on, as was noticed from the previous edition of the camp and was also demonstrated by the applicants to this new year’s program.

Jamila, one of the summer camp facilitators

Dar Si Hmad staff is entirely committed to this program, but we also have a great team dedicated solely to Summer Camp, which consists of 3 young sessions facilitators who work with us as part-time consultants; Ms. Imane Arjdal, Ms. Saloua Elhaouti, and Ms. Jamila Bendhi who are led by Dar Si Hmad employee Ms. Mazoud.

In order to fairly and accurately choose the appropriate beneficiaries for the Summer Tech Camp, the organizing team has meticulously considered the girls’ grades in language and scientific courses, their aspirations for the future, their objectives for participating in the program and, above all, their possession for a digital gadget such as a mobile phone and a computer as well as whether they have a Facebook account or make any use of the internet.

Orientation session at Abdelali Benchkroun

The priority was generally granted to the pupils with the least access to technology and the ones with the greatest motivation and desire to explore the utilities and wonders of the digital world. With the awareness of the merits, usefulness and power of mastering numerous technological tools in this era, Dar Si Hmad Summer Tech Camp’s team has prepared a comprehensive program that will enable the beneficiaries to maximize their profit of using the computer for personal and educational purposes.

In the first week of preparation, prior to the beginning of the camp, Dar Si Hmad held the opening doors for the parents of the teenage girls who were nominated to participate in this year’s Summer Tech Camp. After presenting the organization’s mission and objectives, the camp’s team members gave an overview of the project’s program to which both the beneficiaries and their guardians expressed great interest and excitement, all with sincere gratitude for creating such an enriching and free of charge opportunity for their children.

During our meetings with the parents of the students

The following days were dedicated to update the program’s syllabi. The Summer Tech Camp organizer and facilitators gathered to work on developing the different courses which tackled multiple topics from the basic digital literacy to artificial intelligence and coding. This year’s program also includes an in-depth exploration course for the personality discovery and the acknowledgment of one’s self strengths, in addition to a guidance session on the different career paths the girls can choose to follow.

Indeed, the Summer Tech Camp is meant to instruct young underprivileged girls on the basics of the various uses of technology. Nevertheless, the program of this camp also includes multiple entertaining and amusing activities to make the learning fun and to ensure that the girls’ experience in Dar Si Hmad would stay as beneficial and memorable as possible.

Ms. Mazoud, the camp manager putting the final touches