Arab American University Graduates Schools Students Participating in GoCode Initiative

The initiative is part of the centers aim is to teach and improve technological skills for future leaders through trainings, enhance creativity, and innovation by everyone. It was organized in cooperation with Hassib Sabbagh Center for IT Excellence, Glow Innovations Company, Directorates of Education at Jenin, Qabatiya, and Tubas.

GoCode program aims to teach programming to non-programmers, students from grades 7 through 11 were targeted to teach them programming basics, enhance their skills in team work, present ideas and pilot projects in a two-month summer camp at Hassib Sabbagh Center with participation of 60 students, divided into two groups morning and evening.

The training program included several topics HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. Participants were trained by a group of trainers, students and graduates from the University's Faculty of Engineering and IT using special educational materials and applications suitable for this age group.

Students were selected after being interviewed by a specialized committee and were divided into eight groups each with a special project to solve a community problem in parallel with the training sessions.

Members of Hassib Sabbagh Center for Information Technology Excellence Board of Directors of, directors of the Education Directorates in Jenin, Tubas and Qabatiya, a number of Palestinian institutions and companies’ representatives, a group of faculty members, students and participating students, all attended the ceremony.

VP for Training Affairs Dr. Nizam Diab, conveys the University President Zaidan Abu Zuhri greetings. Stressing, the university philosophy is based on academic excellence, encouraging scientific research and community service. This initiative is being implemented in partnership between Hassib Sabbagh Center for IT and Glow Innovations Company as part of its social responsibility towards society. He explained, the university opens its doors to all activities that serve school students and enhance their skills in cooperation with official and civil institutions.

In the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Sabri Saidam speech, Director General of Student Activities and the Ministry Spokesman Mr. Sadiq Khadour congratulated and thanked participating students in the initiative and the Arab American University. “We will continue working with students to recognize this segment importance which depends on their renaissance of community”, Khadour said. He explained “The projects submitted by the students confirm that we have brains to qualify us to continue investing in our human resources to build our state of Palestine”.

Director General of Glow Innovations Company Eng. Omar stressed that the initiative came as a kind of social responsibility towards school students to complement the Ministry of Education and Higher Education role. The project will be spread across all governorates of the West Bank and Gaza. He praised the students' projects and said: “A large part of these projects by school students during the period are initiative for building profitable companies in the future”.

During the ceremony, each group of students presented their project explaining its mechanism, importance and marketing the project. The following projects were presented: Foodek, Life Style, PalS (Palestinian Stone), Stay Alive, Taw-University (Tawjihi, University) , Al-Khawarizmi Project, Zidni Elma Project, and Not Like Other Women project.

By end of ceremony, all of the ministry directors, Innovations Glow Diresctors, the initiative’s trainers and advisors were honored then the certificates were distributed.