News
Micro:bit sets global goals challenge
Posted on 5th September 2018
As delegates gathered in New York this week for the Impact2030 Summit, a coalition led by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation has unveiled a challenge to code solutions to the UN’s 17 global goals.
Young developers across the world are being urged this week to use the BBC micro:bit DIY pocket computer to code solutions to the planet’s most pressing challenges.
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation Global Challenge has been co-created with Arm and global goals education programme World’s Largest Lesson.
The challenge is unveiled at the United Nations in New York this week, at a summit led by Impact2030 – a business-led coalition created to mobilise employees in volunteering efforts to achieve the 17 global goals.
Impact2030 focusses on corporate volunteering and other employee action to help meet the goals.
This week’s summit follows the launch last November of a UN-backed 2030Vision coalition – also backed by Arm. A report by that coalition set out the role for digital in delivering on each of the goals – estimating that digital solutions to the goals could unlock $2.1tn in additional annual revenue for the tech sector by 2030.
This summer in London, a new global goals accelerator programme launched, promoting digital startups for sustainable development. A first cohort for that programme is expected to be announced any day.
The Micro:bit Educational Foundation, meanwhile, opens its coding challenge on 24 September.
“Using the BBC micro:bit, we want you to design and make a solution to a problem that affects your community or a community somewhere else in the world and will contribute to meeting the UN’s sustainable development goals,” says the foundation.
Winners of the challenge will converge on London to take part in a micro:bit challenge day. The foundation has created easy-to-follow resources to help young coders get started. It already has a Let’s Code page to help young coders perfect their skills.
World’s Largest Lesson, backed by Unicef, offers video and other resources to introduce young students to the global goals.
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