I still remember tinkering with a broken radio in my garage and feeling this quiet conviction that I could fix things. That memory comes back when I listen to Tara Shakovski describe Technovation's mission: teaching girls not just to use technology but to create with it. In this post I walk through the program’s heartbeat—real student projects, hard numbers, partners like Google and Oracle Academy, and the small, messy human stories that make an idea grow into a global movement.
1) Hook: Why I care (a personal riff)
I was 12 when I cracked open a broken radio and made it speak again—messy, loud, and mine. Tara Shakovski talks about playing with engines, and I get it: a technical mindset is power. What I can’t stand is the message many girls hear: “Don’t talk loud. Don’t draw attention—your voice doesn’t matter.” That’s gender inequality technology in plain language, and it shouldn’t decide a future in 2025.
“Technovation's mission is to empower girls and young women to become technology leaders, innovators all over.” — Tara Shakovski
Technovation Girls serves underrepresented communities and pushes girls ages 8-18 to build: a January 2025 LA fires app, bird-song ecology monitors, AI X-ray detection.
2) Mission & big picture: Technovation Girls in context
Technovation Girls exists to empower girls and young women (ages 8–18) to become technology leaders and innovators on a global scale. I see it as a technology entrepreneurship program, not just a coding class: teams spot a local problem and build a tech solution for issues like climate, poverty, or health access. As Tara Shakovski says, “When I came to the United States to do my engineering, I was really surprised to see that there were not that many women in math, in science, technology, and engineering.” With AI moving fast and schools lagging, extracurricular programs fill the gap—and diverse creators mean better data and better solutions.
3) Student projects that stopped me in my tracks
A girl (9–10, now in year three) told me the LA fires pushed her to build a mobile AI solution: enter address, disaster type, and radius, then get nearby safe places plus AI steps when you panic.
From India, a bird-song model tracks ecosystem health. From Canada, AI flags cardiomegaly on X-rays.
“Many of the girls have never used a computer before…building either a mobile app or an AI prototype…transformational.” — Tara Shakovski
Girls ages 8-18 tackle community problems: education access, postpartum care, gender-based violence, sustainability—often sparked by news or local events.
4) Outcomes, metrics, and why the numbers matter
Technovation Girls has run for almost 20 years. The transcript cites ~500,000 participants in 160 countries; other sources (UNESCO SDG4 Knowledge Hub, Oracle Academy blog) report 370,000+ in 120+ countries, likely from different dates and counting methods.
- 76% pursue STEM degrees; 60%STEM careers.
- 60% say it shaped their career choice and self efficacy; 50% lead community change.
- Lagos: 125 teams, 31% completed, 4 reached global semifinals.
“I’ve gotten a lot more skills and problem solving… I had to go through so many challenges.”
Numbers help, but they can’t capture every story.
5) Partnerships, clouds, and the tech that scales impact
In this tech education program, I rely on partners to scale. Technovation has worked with Google for almost 15 years, with funding and access that a small nonprofit can’t build alone. Cloud isn’t magic; it’s powerful data-center computers that let girls test AI tools from remote places.
“There was just absolutely no way that a tiny nonprofit could have the impact that we have bringing cutting edge technologies to remote locations in the world if it wasn't for these kinds of infrastructures and data centers.” — Tara Shakovski
Oracle Academy also strengthens each regional pitch event with judges, mentoring, and gifts, while the University of Lagos helps local execution. Tech needs networks too.
6) Case study: 2025 University of Lagos regional pitch (what the numbers say)
At the regional pitch event at University Lagos Nigeria, 125 teams registered, yet only 31% completed; 4 advanced to global semifinals. Over 100 girls joined, and 22 teams pitched across junior and senior divisions, including junior division teams. Projects tackled education access, postpartum care, gender-based violence, and environmental sustainability. Oracle Academy and the university helped on the ground with judges, mentoring, and small gifts. The gap between sign-ups and completion points to internet limits, mentor time, and resources. I watched mentors cheer as teams grew in one weekend.
“Program like technovations are important because they give young girls chance to see themselves as a creator in the technology not just a user.” — Tara Shakovski
7) Systems gaps, brain development, and what I’d change
AI is moving fast, but schools are slow, missing windows in adolescent brain development when confidence and self-efficacy can grow.
“We need different communities building diverse data sets and coming up with their own solutions.” — Tara Shakovski
Technovation helps fill access education gaps and reduce gender inequality technology by giving real projects and mentors.
- More mentor hours and flexible matching
- Offline lessons for low internet
- Local, context-specific datasets + bias checks
Policy: teacher training, cloud credits for nonprofits. Birthplace should not decide opportunity. I don’t have all answers; I’ll test changes and track completion and STEM pathways.
8) Wild cards: creative prompts, hypotheticals, and a tiny tangent
coding innovation for young changemakers
Wild card 1: What if every school had one Technovation-style lab by 2030? Small, well-designed experiments could reveal scalable fixes for completion and access—and grow tech entrepreneurs leaders.
Wild card 2: A 48-hour hackathon for intermittent internet: offline assets, SMS check-ins, mentor phone trees.
Technovation is a greenhouse: heat (mentors), water (resources), light (practice).
- Sketch a mobile AI solution for one local problem.
- Map three local mentors.
Tiny tangent: my high-school coding club failed—two meetings, zero laptops. Creative partnerships (local radio, faith groups) help.
9) Conclusion: How I’d act tomorrow (a modest call to action)
Technovation Girls has reached ~500k participants by pairing mission, projects, metrics, partners, and honest gaps in access education for young changemakers leading change communities.
“They belong in technology and their ideas matter to shape the future.” — Tara Shakovski
Tomorrow, I’d mentor one hour a week, lobby my company for cloud credits, and sponsor a regional pitch so more girls see themselves as creators. Small, repeated actions from mentors and partners raise completion and long-term impact, because this program builds identity and self-belief, not just skills. Resources: UNESCO SDG4 Knowledge Hub; Oracle Academy write-up. TL;DR: show up weekly. Share local examples or join in.
