Technovation Girls World Summit 2022 announces finalists from 14 countries

Over 5,500 girls from 61 countries developed 1,700 mobile apps to tackle problems in their communities primarily related to climate action, quality education, health and well-being.

Participants in this curriculum-based programme work with mentors and local ambassadors to help their community and develop their own technical and leadership skills.

Technovation's World Summit is committed to celebrating the thousands of girls around the world who have dedicated their time to solving the biggest issues concerning their communities. To date, the organization has impacted girls across more than 120 countries.

The complete list of the 2022 Technovation Girls finalists, regional winners and information about their apps have been released on Technovation’s website.

Finalists ranging from ages 8-18 and representing 14 different countries including Mexico, Canada, Japan and Uganda, will present and demonstrate their apps at the public virtual event.

These apps include a tool to help patients with epilepsy during medical emergencies, an AI-powered monitor to help families reduce their household water consumption from Japan, an app to educate young people and reduce the stigma around menstruation from India, an app to help adults monitor and intervene in school dropouts from Nigeria, and so much more.

Prominent past keynote speakers for the event have included: Sundar Pichai, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the former ED of UN Women and deputy president of South Africa, and NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli.

Since Technovation’s inception in 2006, its mission has been to equip young women around the world to become tech leaders, innovators, and change makers. The backbone of Technovation's sustained mission success is its program and curriculum that teaches girls the skills of the future.

Technovation’s curriculum specifically teaches computational thinking, machine learning, block coding, understanding and using data, AI ethics, and prototyping in addition to other key technology concepts.

Through its yearly program, Technovation has refined this curriculum over 16 years, reaching 370,000 participants in 120-plus countries.

The program uses a three-part learning model that aims to help girls develop agency and view STEM as a real pathway to better career opportunities.

First, participants identify real-world problems in their communities that technology can solve. Next, they build a team of peers supported by a mentor. Participants work together for 12 weeks to build an app or train a model that solves the problem they have identified.

After completing the program, 76 per cent of Technovation alumnae pursue STEM degrees, while 60 per cent work in STEM careers. Many alumnae credit Technovation for their career choice and increasing their self-efficacy.

“For too long we have talked about girls’ education as something limited to basic skills and basic literacies,” says Tara Chklovski, CEO and founder of Technovation. “That approach has completely missed the tremendous potential young girls have to inspire us, to look at incredibly wicked problems with a fresh perspective—and to have the courage to actually tackle these problems head on. Each year, Technovation girls have pushed the bar higher and higher, convincing us and their nations that young women are the face of innovators and changemakers.”

With the support of their volunteer mentors and parents, girls work in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems. Many girls who take part in the program go on to obtain Computer Science, Data Science, or Engineering jobs with large companies, such as Shopify, Google, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Amazon and Meta.

The programme is backed by other organizations, such as HSBC, Shopify, ServiceNow, TE Connectivity Foundation, Patrick J McGovern Foundation and Vianai due to its high-quality curriculum, availability in multiple countries, and high demand for tech-based learning.