The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) aims to advance public awareness, appreciation and engagement of science, engineering and technology in South Africa. SAASTA is business Unit of the National Research Foundation.
| TechnoYouth |
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This holiday programme is specifically for underprivileged youth from townships in and around Johannesburg. TechnoYouth reaches out to these children and introduces them to technology in a fun, friendly and informal manner. Workshops are run over three days from 09:00 to 15:00 for between 15 and 30 youngsters per workshop. TechnoYouth aims to make participants aware of the fact that sooner or later they will encounter many forms of technology, especially when they join the job market. It is an objective to introduce technology to those youth, who may otherwise not be exposed to modern technology, at an early age in their lives. A secondary objective is to make them aware of stimulating and rewarding career opportunities that will exist for them later on if they opt for science and technology subjects at school. |
TechnoYouth – these three-day workshops are aimed at underprivileged learners in grades 7 to 9 from areas in and around Johannesburg, introducing them to technology.
Participants are introduced to technology by means of audio-visual presentations and a set of hand-outs that they get to keep to reinforce what they have learnt and to encourage further interest. They are introduced to basic hand tools and materials and shown how to apply these in a practical way. They then select and construct technology projects using special constructor kits and materials supplied during practical hands-on sessions. These sessions are interspersed with video shows, guided tours through the Johannesburg Observatory, science shows and a visit to another nearby Science Centres.
TechnoYouth workshops strive to identify latent talent or interest in science, engineering and technology disciplines.