Second stop of the American delegation in Sesto Fiorentino
As announced, last week the American delegation from theUniversity of Delaware made a stop in Sesto Fiorentino for two days of training and challenges with the Game On! format, as had already happened in Rome [see the news item The American delegation in Florence]. At the centre of the shared planning were three of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: Climate action, Life below water and Life on land.
Nine teams challenged each other, formed by the pupils of two classes of the comprehensive institute Sesto1 Falcone e Borsellino, coordinated by teachers Rosa Milo and Francesca Bruscoli and followed by trainers Elena Busato and Rossana Conte, students of Physics at the University of Florence.
Here are the teams with their awards:
- Bianca, Elena, Gemma, John Raffaello, Alessio in group 1. Their project was selected as ‘Most Creative’.
- Matilde, Giulia, Leonardo, Nino in group 2
- Andrea, Bianca, Alessio, Mohamed, Renzo in group 3
- Venus, Raffaele Andrea, Christian, Gabriele in group 4
- Gemma, Camilla, Emma, Samuele, Giovanni in group 5
- Simone, Mirco, Vera, Gabriele, Mia in group 6. Their work was selected as ‘Best Project’.
- Patrick, Alice, Niccolò, Andrea, Gioermi in group 7. Their project was selected as ‘Best Code’.
- Dylan, Ahmed, Teodosie, Anna, Matilde in group 8. Their work was selected as ‘Most Effective Project’.
- Cosimo, Lapo, Niccolò, Gabriele in group 9
Here is the message shared by Cecilia Stajano, community leader, who has always been the ‘soul’ of the Coding Girls project.
Like every year, the Coding Girls programme starts up again, and each edition brings with it a special reason that surprises me, enchants me and makes me reflect on how far we have come since that distant 2014, when, almost as a challenge or mission impossible, we decided to see if it made sense to train our female students in Steam as well.
The excitement of having celebrated 10 years of Coding Girls is still alive. With the launch of the 11th edition, I have a feeling of déjà vu, but enriched by new experiences. It all started with a mini-tour with stops in Rome, Florence and Sorrento, accompanied by our Italian role models, brilliant university students, joined by a group of American students. And here comes one of the great novelties: no longer one or two American coaches as in the first editions, but no fewer than 33, accompanied by two lecturers. They came to Italy to carry out the practical part of their course on how to teach Stem in schools, and for us it is a great satisfaction to show them our ‘Italian way’ to Stem in the classroom, perfected thanks to the Coding Girls programme over the years.
The strength of Coding Girls today lies more than ever in the peer tutoring, shadowing and role modelling that our very capable university students offer to the girls and other students involved.
Coding becomes a way to make friends, to learn that problems are best solved as a team, that valuing each other means we all win together. It is a school of life where every contribution counts, where roles within the team make a difference, and where, if you have fun, everything becomes easier and learning more authentic.
With the group of American students we really felt like we were in the vanguard: they loved our trains, our food, the climate, the kindness of the people and the modernity of our cities. And so one wonders: can that America that we all dream of, that idea of the future, exist anywhere, even in Sesto Fiorentino, where we were welcomed with big smiles, openness and helpfulness? Perhaps the real innovation lies precisely in welcoming, in sharing knowledge, in listening to the other, to the foreigner and his ideas, making him feel at home.
We are now preparing for the third and final stage, Sorrento. This start of the eleventh edition of Coding Girls could not have started better, confirming that we are really on the right track.
Keep going!
