Schools Space Exploration Live Stream

Schools Space Exploration Live Stream
1 - 3pm May 21st 2018 Headline Event for Techweek 2018 (#twnz18)
Brought to you by OMGTech!

Media Release

Would you believe in a future where you can live right here in Aotearoa and have a career in the Space Industry? OMGTech! and its partners Rocket Lab and the NZ Space agency are on a mission to let every kid, teacher and parent understand that this a reality. We are at a unique point in our history. We are on the cusp of having a truly awesome space industry with a thriving space ecosystem servicing the world. We want every Kiwi kid to dream about how they can become part of Aotearoa NZ's space industry.

Today, when most people think about space and being part of the space industry, they think of NASA and how America landed on the moon and they wonder if it would ever be possible to become part of that world. OMGTech! wants all kids to dream of their place in the space industry and know that they can achieve that right here in Aotearoa. We want to ensure ALL our kids know the opportunities that are available. We want them to imagine themselves in the space industry particularly our Māori and Pasifika children and our girls.

For OMGTech! co-founder and general manager, Zoe Timbrell, it’s especially important we take everyone on that journey.

“Especially for our Māori tamariki and their Pasifika friends; their tūpuna, ancestors, were the original explorers. With nothing more than the stars to guide them, they would set sail across the blue ocean. Journeying into the great unknown is in their DNA and all we want to do is remind them of that,” says Zoe.

We want to expose our future generations to the breadth of opportunity that working in space from Aotearoa New Zealand means. Hardware and software development, rocketry, satellites, data analysis, robotics, and much more. The event will inspire our tamariki with the incredible initiatives that are already happening today by showcasing kiwi companies that are successfully working in space such as Rocket Lab, SpaceBase, the UoA Space institute and others.

OMGTech! is a charitable organisation that works to give all Kiwi kids access to the technologies that will shape our future. We understand kids innately get technology, they love to explore, play, invent and innovate. Being curious and pushing the boundaries is what we want to encourage with our future workforce. Technology isn’t always accessible for children to experiment but OMGTech! is on a mission to change this to ensure that demographics doesn't play a part in their future opportunities with technology.

For Vaughan Rowsell, co-founder of OMGTech! and founder of Vend and vice-Chair of NZ High Tech Trust, this was a key consideration.

“I co-founded OMGTech! with the dream of making tech accessibility a reality. We know that kids understand how it all works, we just don’t give them a chance,” says Vaughan.

From 1pm on May 21st, OMGTech! will livestream to schools across the country to inspire and engage with our next generation of space entrepreneurs.

The event will be divided into two parts. Part one is a series of inspirational talks from Aotearoa’s leading space entrepreneurs and technologists to inspire our tamariki. Part two is made up of hands on activities demonstrated by a select group of kids and live streamed so that classrooms can follow along and build their own space focused technology.

The event is aimed at primary and intermediate school children. We are aiming to have over 100 schools participate with at least 30 students in each school but there is no limit to how many can participate. This event will be recorded and made available for schools to watch and participate in after the event making this a free resource available for all schools.

The event is a headline event as part of Tech Week 2018 and will be filmed at the ASB Waterfront Theatre in Wynyard Quarter in Auckland.

ENDS

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