AI Education: An Economic Imperative

Introductory Programs for Women & BIPOC Youth (ages 18+)

Now, more than ever, is the time to provide in-demand AI/ML skills, training and a connection to jobs that pay a living wage.

AWS Global AI Challenge – Why Not Change The World!

Our free annual event, The AWS Global AI Challenge, launched in 2019, has the potential to reach millions of marginalized women, higher ed students and entrepreneurs through our education, government and corporate partners. It is our goal to provide beginner-level women, BIPOC college/university students and entrepreneurs with free AI/ML education, live mentoring/coaching and access to scholarships, apprenticeships, job opportunities, startup accelerators, funding and more!

OBJECTIVES
  • Use AI/ML as a meaningful tool for improving people’s lives and solving some of society’s biggest challenges – addressing the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Put artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the hands of women, underrepresented highered students and entrepreneurs.
  • Help beginner-level female, BIPOC students and entrepreneurs find career training, mentorship, leadership development, networking opportunities, employment and funding in a tech industry that is predominantly male and white.
  • Explore how companies and governments can collaborate with educators to prepare students for the #FutureOfWork and #Entrepreneurship.
  • Increase youth civic participation and advance more inclusive education and economic policies for women and BIPOC youth.
  • In rapid response to COVID-19, fuel progress in the area of economic opportunity and cloud education for global women and BIPOC youth, leveraging AWS.

AWS GLOBAL AI CHALLENGE KEYNOTE LIVE

Join Us Live Online

March 19, 12:00 – 1:55 PM ET

 

Join us on March 19 to hear from two AWS female trailblazers around Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and its potential for solving global problems and driving a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable world fo women.

2022 Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge MARCH 19 - MAY 7, 2022 (Saturdays)

Amplify Your Voice! Your Future. Your Country.

  • Free virtual event for women, BIPOC college/university students and entrepreneurs (ages 18+)
  • Innovate. Create. Explore a New Career Pathway.
  • No AI Experience Required. Coding Experience Helpful.
Keynote Speaker: Myra Roldan

Keynote Speaker: Myra Roldan

Sr. Technical Program Manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Myra is a talented technologist, a TEDx speaker, author, and an international public speaker. She is widely regarded as an important source of information about new and emerging technologies. She brings in a unique mix of technical, business, as well as, learning experience innovation in the field of adult education and competency development.

While she is well-respected for her innovative thinking and superior leadership abilities, Myra champions change within higher education as a digital transformation leader at Amazon Web Services (AWS) organizing around technical skill competencies to expand a global standard and foster diversity and inclusiveness, devising techniques for various types of academic programs at scale globally, and managing projects around the world’s largest educational network, driving success for learners and educators while creating a skilled and dynamic technical talent pipeline.

Keynote Speaker: Wadiya (Diya) Wynn

Keynote Speaker: Wadiya (Diya) Wynn

Sr. Practice Manager, Emerging Technologies & Intelligent Platforms (AWS)

Diya describes herself as an avid learner with a relentless drive for progress, endeavoring to make the people and places she engages better with every encounter. As a technologist, Diya has influenced products, scaled operations and delivered high-value customer engagements for more than two decades. In 2017 she started her journey at AWS focused on helping enterprises make the organizational changes to support their cloud journey, as well as driving change efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside of the company. She has a passion for developing leaders; sharing opportunities STEM to the underrepresented; promoting HBCUs and being an agent of change. After spending years in technology-focused roles and separately pursuing passion projects in DEI, she now has a role marrying the best of both worlds leading a team helping customers build responsible and inclusive technology.

Learn to Build an Alexa Skill on AWS

Compete on multi-national teams to win scholarships toward AWS training and certification!
– $20,500 (USD) in scholarships toward AWS training & exam certification will be awarded to winning teams! 9 top project teams from each competition level will be selected to deliver their fast-pitch demos at the Virtual Global Innovation Summit – AWS Demo Day, competing for the chance to win scholarships toward AWS training & certification exams (prizes must be used within 6 months of award).

Join Diverse Youth Innovators Tackling our World's Biggest Problems

Experience the 5-minute video highlights from our ’21 Global Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge program, supported y 40+ partners across the globe. Credit to Daniel Chidi Ezimadu at Danisoft Solution for his team’s amazing videography.

2022 Schedule/Curriculum

This program is aimed at beginners who have never built an Alexa skill. The program uses similar methods of explaining the basics as other books and tutorials available. It differs in that the training is live instructor-led, includes mentoring, and all the lessons and demos aim to get you building on AWS and imagining what is possible with voice and cloud technology. This program will teach you to build an Alexa skill using Amazon Web Services (AWS), encourage you to use artificial intelligence to solve real world problems, and introduce you to essential professional skills, career-development tools, resources & learning.

Plan to spend 20+ hours using these lessons and working with your team to complete your project.

Designed to accommodate multiple time zones:

Online Training:

  • Saturdays March 19 – Apr 9, 10:00am – 2:55pm ET | 3:00pm – 7:55pm WAT

Team Build Sessions:

  • Saturdays Apr 16 – May 7, 10:00am – 11:55am ET |  3:00pm – 4:55pm WAT
  • You will have these 4 weeks to work with your team/mentor to complete and submit your projects.

Office Hours:

  • Saturdays Apr 16 – May 7, 12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT

Final Project Submissions Due:

  • Saturday Apr 30, 3:00pm ET | 8:00pm WAT – Code Freeze + Submit to the Alexa Skill Store
  • Saturday May 7, 3:00pm ET | 8:00pm WAT – Video Fast-Pitch Demo

 

Labels: Required, Recommended, or Optional  

WEEK 1 – Saturday 3/19/22 

Getting Started – Welcome!

Time  Topic Format Label
10:00am-11:55am ET | 3:00pm-4:55pm WAT Welcome Participants

Microsoft Teams Training

 
Live / Will Be Recorded Required
12:00pm – 1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT
CSW NY Parallel Event/Keynote
Register to watch virtual keynotes! 
Live / Will Be Recorded Required
2:00pm – 2:15pm ET | 7:00pm – 7:15pm WAT Alexa Demo – Kabila Williams, Sr. Technical Curriculum Developer at Amazon

 

Live / Will Be Recorded

 

Required
2:15pm – 2:30pm ET | 7:15pm – 7:30pm WAT Create Your Game Plan & Open AWS Developer Account Homework Assignment Required
WEEK 2 – Saturday 3/26/22

Interaction Model Deep-Dive!

Time  Topic Format Label
10:00am – 10:55am ET | 3:00pm – 3:55pm WAT

Meet Your Trainer – Sam Rastovich, Software Developer, ThingLogix

Interaction Model – Deep Dive

Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required
11:00am – 11:55am ET | 4:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Innovation and Technology for Meeting the 2030 Agenda – Therese Baptiste (Cornelis), Former UN Ambassador Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required
12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Lab/Office Hours Live With Trainer Optional
2:00pm -2:55pm ET | 7:00pm – 7:55pm WAT  UX/UI Designing for Voice – Maria Dyshel, CEO Tangible AI Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required

WEEK 3 – Saturday 4/2/22

Teams & Mentors Assigned

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 10:55am ET | 3:00pm – 3:55pm WAT

 

Teams Announced!

Team-building/Mind-mapping Activity

Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required
11:00am – 12:25pm ET | 4:00pm – 5:25pm WAT Stanford Design Thinking Process & Kanban Activity Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required
12:30pm – 12:55pm ET | 5:30pm – 5:55pm WAT Break    
1:00pm – 1:55pm ET | 6:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Intro to Machine Learning/Putting Data Science into Action – Hayde Landa Martinez, Founder De Cero a Ciencia De Datos Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required

WEEK 4 – Saturday 4/9/22

Application Logic & Publishing Your Skill

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 10:55am ET | 3:00pm – 3:55pm WAT Application Logic Live With Your Trainer / Will Be Recorded Required
11:00am – 11:55am ET | 4:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Publishing Your Skill Live With Your Trainer / Will Be Recorded Required
12:00pm -12:25pm ET | 5:00pm – 5:25pm WAT Break    
12:30pm -1:25pm ET | 5:30pm – 6:25pm WAT Introduction to Cybersecurity – Niles Pyleshak, Cloud Security, Cisco Live Workshop / Will Be Recorded Required
**Training is Now Complete. Please Schedule Mentor & Team Meetings for Weeks 5 – 8**
WEEK 5 – Saturday 4/16/22

Let’s Build!

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 11:55am ET | 3:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Team Build Sessions Live With Your Mentor Required
 12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Office Hours Live With Trainer
Optional
WEEK 6 – 4/23/22          

Project Build Continued

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 11:55am ET |  3:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Team Build Sessions Live With Your Mentor Required
12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Office Hours Live With Trainer Optional
WEEK 7 – 4/30/22          

Project Build Continued

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 11:55am ET |  3:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Team Build Sessions Live With Your Mentor Required
12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Office Hours Live With Trainer Optional
WEEK 8 – 5/7/22        

Project Build Continued

Time Topic Format Label
10:00am – 11:55am ET |  3:00pm – 4:55pm WAT Team Build Sessions Live With Your Mentor Required
12:00pm -1:55pm ET | 5:00pm – 6:55pm WAT Office Hours Live With Trainer Optional
FINAL PROJECT SUBMISSIONS DUE      
  • Saturday Apr 30, 3:00pm ET | 8:00pm WAT – Code Freeze + Submit to the Alexa Skill Store
  • Saturday May 7, 3:00pm ET | 8:00pm WAT – Video Fast-Pitch Demo

AWS DEMO DAY – Finale Event     
The Global AI Challenge “Finale Event” showcases youth technology solutions to global problems, leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS). $20,500 (USD) in scholarships toward AWS training & exam certification will be awarded to winning teams! Nine top project teams will be selected to deliver their fast-pitch demos at the Virtual AWS Demo Day, competing for the chance to win scholarships toward AWS training & certification exams (prizes must be used within 6 months of award).

 

  • Saturday May 14, 10:30am – 1:30pm ET |  3:30pm – 6:30pm WAT

2021 Impact Highlights – Amazon Alexa Skills Challenge

(In partnership with Amazon Web Services and We Connect The Dots, Inc.)

2019 Impact Highlights – AWS Chatbot Challenge

(In partnership with Amazon Web Services and WomenOfAI.org)

The 2019 AWS Chatbot Challenge was initiated to ensure that young individuals with some coding experience have the needed skills to become gainfully employed and fulfilled. The program was targeted at up-skilling young individuals in San Diego and beyond with cloud, AI and entrepreneurial skills.
OBJECTIVES
To explore:
  • What technology can do for governments and our communities
  • How employers, educators and governments can work together to ensure high school and college students receive a quality, affordable education and are prepared for digital transformation in the workplace
SOCIAL IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS
Students registered: 61; 51% male/49% female, ages ranging from ~20 – 34

27 colleges and universities

Geography: Southern California and Mexico — we are making a cross-border impact!

Education level: High school grads, Associates and Baccalaureate degrees

AWS experience level: 96% Beginner/4% Intermediate

Mentors, Judges, Volunteers: 22 (local IT and tech professionals)

Keynote/Panel Speakers: 8 leaders in tech: Erica Lee (Founder, WomenOfAI.org), JJ Digeronimo (President, TechSavvyWomen), Bridget Kimball (Athena Board Member, VP and Chief Architect, Intuit Consumer Group), Shannon Maas (Senior Software Engineer at Netflix), Feyzi Fatehi (Chairman and CEO of Corent Technology), Luis Martinez, (MSOL, Director Startup Grind San Diego) Vanessa Miranda (VP LatinaGeeks San Diego, VP Girls in Tech San Diego), Franky Fuentes, Ph.D. (Data Driven Diversity & Inclusion Scholar) Christiana Russell (Panel Moderator, M.Ed, Founding Member at San Diego Tech Hub)
Panel Topics: 1) How we can close the gender and racial gap in tech with the support of education policy; 2) What tech companies can do to move the needle on equity, diversity, and inclusion
Trainers: 2 technology professionals: Sam Rastovich (ThingLogix, AWS Public Sector Partner) and Franky Fuentes, Ph.D. (Data Driven Diversity & Inclusion Scholar)

Future-Proof Your Career!

COVID-19 has raised the economic stakes.

COVID-19 has caused historical job losses and spurred the #GreatReshuffle.

COVID-19 has intensified inequities by gender, race, ethnicity, and income worldwide.

There’s a high risk that gains in women’s and girls’ accumulation of human capital, economic empowerment, voice and agency built over the past decades will reverse.

Technological adoption and innovation have accelerated, and automation is perhaps now a bigger threat than it has ever been to low- and middle-income workers.

~100 million additional people have been forced into poverty with middle-income countries significantly effected.

Learn In-Demand Skills for FREE While Solving Some of Society’s Biggest Challenges!

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