Communications provider Plusnet today announced a partnership with Scouts to enable its youngsters to take the skills they develop into an online space.
The Plusnet x Scouts: Preparing for the Future collaboration launched with a digital camp at Scouts HQ in Gilwell Park.
Scouts from Sheffield and London gathered for a ‘hackathon’ to help solve problems relating to important topics like the environment, mental health and homelessness.
Working with The Raspberry Pi Foundation, the hackathon saw young people use the power of online connectivity to code solutions including a digital diary which translates emotional words to emojis for people with autism, a gamified basketball style bin which rewards people who recycle, an app that tracks carbon footprints, and a bot that recognises faces and gives compliments to people suffering with loneliness.
William, 11, Scout from Sheffield, speaking at the weekend about his team’s digital autism diary, said: “We did it for autism because some of our friends have autism and we thought it’d be nice to help. We all got to do different parts of the making process. A bit of coding, making the case, a bit of rushing around and a bit of researching.”
Safa, 14, Scout from Newham, said: “Because of climate change, we’ve decided to create a bin target that uses technology to stop littering. In general, Scouting is quite in touch with nature and in future we want to preserve that and the environment.”
The weekend culminated in presentations of the inventions to a Dragon’s Den style judging panel made up of representatives from Plusnet, Scouts, The Raspberry Pi Foundation and TV presenter Reggie Yates.
Each Scout in attendance also received a Plusnet x Scouts one-off badge created especially for the weekend.
Yates commented: “I’ve seen so many amazing inventions this weekend and it really demonstrates the power of technology, especially in the hands of these brilliant young people. The Plusnet x Scouts: Preparing for the Future project is a testament to these young minds and some of the ideas I’ve seen this weekend have been truly inspirational.”