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Dublin, 23 March 2024 – LEGO® Robots designed and built by a team of Irish Girl Guides (IGG) youth members from Drogheda, Co. Meath, will compete in the FIRST® LEGO® League MASTERPIECE All-Ireland Finals for a shot at representing Ireland in future international competitions. The event takes place at Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport this Saturday, 23 March, and promises to be an exciting and fun-filled day of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM) activities.
The IGG team Cora and the Explorers advanced to the All-Ireland Final after winning the IGG Regional Finals in February. From Mosney Guides in Drogheda, Co. Meath, the team of Aroush, Adefola, Tayyaba, Precious, and Sadiqa hope their robotic invention, as well as their project presentation and interview, will carry them to victory.
Through this innovative programme, girls learn STEAM skills, engage in competition, and strengthen teamwork and camaraderie. The science and technology challenge tasks teams to build a robot to tackle a series of missions and create an innovative solution to a real-world problem. It is one of the many avenues that IGG leads the way and delivers its mission of enabling girls and young women to become responsible global citizens, encouraging them to broaden their horizons and discover a world of science and engineering through LEGO®.
Supported by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Programme, the initiative is organised by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in partnership with Irish delivery partner, CreativeHUT.
“We are incredibly excited for this opportunity to take our LEGO robot to the finals,” says Cora and the Explorers member Aroush. “We worked very hard on our presentation and innovation idea and hope the judges appreciate the way it can help people connect.”
For their innovation project, Cora and the Explorers came up with an app called SWAPI, designed to connect leaders in Guiding with each other. “We saw a potential problem in that oftentimes, our Guide meetings would have to be cancelled as leaders couldn’t make it”, Aroush says. “So we thought, what if there was an easy way leaders could connect with each other to trade off days? Our solution could be a great help for many in IGG and other Guiding and Scouting groups to ensure children don’t have to miss out.”
FIRST is an acronym for ‘For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,’ and FIRST® LEGO® League encourages children to think like scientists and engineers, developing practical solutions to real-world issues.
FIRST® LEGO® League inspires young people from the ages of 4-16 to understand and shape the world they live in, in a more sustainable and inclusive way. Importantly, it ignites interest in STEAM learning, challenging the idea that science is dull, too technical, or only for boys!
“I’m so proud to see Cora and the Explorers go to the Finals,” says IGG LEGO co-ordinator and Drogheda-area leader Katie Keogh. “I know these girls are more than capable of anything they set their minds to, and I hope I have the opportunity to see them represent Ireland.”
The IGG LEGO Robotics programme is yet another example of how IGG is leading the way for young girls to have the opportunity to engage in STEAM, encouraging them to pursue STEAM subjects in school and STEAM careers by providing practical, hands-on experience in a fun environment. “Many of our youth members take up college courses and careers in STEM as a result of this programme and our other STEM programmes too,” says IGG CEO Lorraine Mackey McHugh. “Our Badges include these STEAM areas such as Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Robotics alongside our more traditional programme with Badges such as Environmental Awareness, Nature Observer, and Water Safety. Irish Girl Guides is dedicated to building this diverse range of skills in girls and young women.”
In Ireland, FIRST® LEGO® League is supported by funding from Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme. It aims to inspire and create awareness of the impact of STEAM on society, and its connection and contribution to everyday life.
Teams competed in regional tournaments during January and February 2024 for a place at the All-Ireland Final in March 2024, from which a team will emerge to represent Ireland in the World FIRST® LEGO® League Finals.
More than 11,000 children have participated in FIRST® LEGO® League in Ireland in the past three years of the global programme. CreativeHUT partners with Dublin City University and its School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies to increase STEM awareness in young people. About 500 Girl Guides from all parts of the country participated in FIRST® LEGO® events throughout the year.
Three programme levels — Discover, Explore and Challenge — are carefully tailored to different age groups, so young people develop a broad range of practical and soft skills over time.
Visit fll.learnit.ie to discover more about the range of programmes and how to get involved.
IGG actively promotes diversity and inclusion and welcomes girls and young women from all walks of life ages 5-18. We also seek volunteer leaders ages 18+ in a variety of roles. To find out more, visit www.irishgirlguides.ie or telephone 01-6683898.
Photo captions:
Team Cora and the Explorers at the FIRST® LEGO® League MASTERPIECE Irish Girl Guides Regional Tournament, DCU St. Patrick’s Campus, 24 February 2024. Photo credit: Fintan Clarke. No repro fee.
Contact:
Celia Melcus
Public Relations and Advocacy Officer
Irish Girl Guides
Tel: 01-6683898 ext. 104
Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie
Notes for editors:
Irish Girl Guides has about 10,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,600 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from ages 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Climate Action, Cultural Diversity, Cybersecurity, Disability Awareness, Engineering, Global Traveller, Healthy Mind, Life Below Water, Robotics, and STEM.
