Stem Lego Robotics workshop a fun way to give back
Owen Kirk and Bryce Ware, two Los Angeles youth ages 10 and 11, are in Kingston for the month of July accompanying their mother/aunt on a visit to her Kingston business office to fulfil their desire to share with students of their age group some of their years of experience being a part of the FIRST Lego League Jr (Jr FLL) in Southern California.
The FIRST Lego League Jr gives early elementary school students and their adult coaches the opportunity to work and create together while they explore science and technology concepts. The participants use real-world problems to create a “show me” poster and a working LEGO model of what they learn.
Born to a Jamaican father, American-born Stacy Kirk, CEO of QualityWorks Consulting Group Jamaica Limited, had begun giving back to the Jamaican society within a year of opening her nearshore software quality assurance company on the island. Last December, she and her group of local software consultants gave a Christmas treat at the Nest Children’s Home, bearing gifts and singing songs that brought happiness to the children.
This mantra of giving back seems to be both a personal and business attribute, since her son Owen is now following her footsteps, along with his buddy Bryce. The young boys went to share their talents with the wards of the Nest Children’s Home this Saturday, July 16 2016 by conducting a three-hour workshop, much to the delight of Major Barbara Forrester, head of the “Nest”. The boys assisted participating children with using their innate creativity to design their own motorised Lego machines, using the 5 Lego Mechanical kits and thousand of Lego pieces kindly donated by the boys.
An expert in his own right, Owen Kirk’s Jr FLL team won the “Genius” award two years in a row and presented their mechanical Lego solution at Legoland, California.
The staff and wards of Nest Children’s Home expressed their delight and appreciation to Owen and Bryce, and the boys were happy with the results of their tutelage. Visions of a young Jamaican team entering the FIRST Lego Jr League in the United States has begun to materialise. With the help of Owen and Bryce, along with Stacy Kirk and her QualityWorks Consulting Group family, Jamaican could once again become a force to reckon with, making its mark at the next 2017-2018 competition.
