EPAM,  Virgin Media and parent company, Liberty Global champion young digital innovators by supporting Coolest Projects 2021

 

20^th  April 2021: Virgin Media along with their parent company Liberty Global and enterprise software developer EPAM Systems are proud sponsors of Coolest Projects 2021, supporting innovative projects this year that make an environmental impact. The annual showcase is open to young coders from across the globe with Ireland always featuring strongly over the years. As a big supporter of Coolest Projects and CoderDojo, Virgin Media Ireland is now calling for entries from young Irish coders by 3^rd May, 2021.

 

Created originally by the CoderDojo community in Ireland, Coolest Projects is now the world's leading Technology Fair for young people and a flagship event of the Raspberry Pi Foundation. It is the world’s leading technology showcase for young people ages 7 – 18.

 

Through its free, open and local programming clubs, all levels of ability from creators, designers, gamers, and inventors are able to register their projects to a global audience. This year, projects will be hosted in a virtual gallery, so even more young people have the opportunity to participate while at home. Coolest Projects events are open to all levels of ability; the focus is on creativity, participation, and most of all, having fun.

 

Peter McCarthy, Vice President of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Virgin Media Ireland said, “This is our young coders’ opportunity to showcase their amazing skills at home and abroad. Every week, coding communities across Ireland gather to mentor and encourage young people’s interests in the creativity of coding, from websites, fun games and computer programmes to real-life applications and inventions, while learning an invaluable lifelong skill. We’re proud to support CoderDojo in Ireland including participation by our own volunteers and we’re encouraging young people to get involved in showcasing their coding talent in Coolest Projects 2021. We can’t wait to see what they’ll create.”

 

From designing their own websites about topics that are important to them or building fun games to share with their friends, to seeing their computer programs translate into real-life action through robots and other hardware, children who are learning to code come to understand what technology is in a way that is constructive rather than passive. They become able to make their own tools, toys, and inventions while learning an invaluable lifelong skill.

 

Shamilka Samarasinha, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at EPAM, said: “We’re excited to see how talented young coders and creators will bring ideas to life that can potentially change the world and help the environment. No idea is too small or big to make a difference.”

 

This is the second consecutive year that EPAM has partnered with Liberty Global and Virgin Media Ireland to support the Coolest Projects. Together, the companies are co-sponsoring one of this year’s project themes, “projects that help the environment,” and are working together to hold workshops for kids who need help and expertise in their project areas.

 

Philip Colligan, CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, said: “Coolest Projects provides a platform for young people from all over the world to share their ideas for how to use technology to solve real world challenge like the climate emergency. From animations about oceanic pollution to AI recycling bins, these young digital makers are changing the world through technology."