1800 Children. 112 Books. 10 Schools

As we set out on our first Love Tech Primary School initiative in February of this year, we didn’t know quite what to expect.

Turning up at assemblies to talk about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and some of the incredible women (our mentors) working in these fields, we weren’t sure if the content would be inspiring enough for the children we visited!

We needn’t have worried however, as after visiting ten primary schools, meeting approximately 1800 children and donating 112 STEM related books, we have had some wonderful feedback from teachers and children alike. We have been sung to, applauded, hugged and have been asked some really challenging questions!

“It was brilliant, the kids were firing me with questions all day. The books are amazing and the kids will love them.”

“I have been sharing the box around the classes to give each class a chance to see them before they go in the library. The class I went to today was Year 5 and the girls were so excited to see that a lot were about women in STEM!”

“Many thanks for your assembly. The children were chatting about it afterwards and loved the books you left.”

“The books went to our reading corridor this morning and have caused quite a stir!”

We are pleased to say that we met our goals, which included engaging with primary school children and schools, sparking interest in STEM and encouraging diversity, however we are far from the end.

At Love Tech we are passionate about playing a part in helping to address the global and local skills shortage and to redress the balance, where women are hugely underrepresented in STEM. We are now planning our next steps in terms of how we support children in education and you can expect to see us in schools once again, later this year.

This well received initiative could not have been achieved without the generous donation received from PWC Isle of Man and the support of Bridge Bookshop.

List of book titles donated:

How to be a Maths Whizz by Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon
The DNA book: Discover what makes you you by Professor Alison Woollard & Dr Sophie Gilbert
Build your own website for beginners by Laura Cowan
Fantastically great Women who saved the planet by Kate Pankhurst
Counting on Katherine : How Katherine Johnson Put Astronauts on the Moon by Helaine Becker
The everyday workings of machines by Steve Martin
Ask a scientist by Robert Winston
Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes by Sophie Dean
Kay’s Anatomy: A Complete (and Completely Disgusting) Guide to the Human Body by Adam Kay
How cities work by James Gullivar Hancock
Fantastically great Women who change the world by Kate Pankhurst
Wonder women by Sam Maggs
Marie Curie Power of Persistance by Karla Velenti
50 fearless pioneers who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

Love Tech was featured in G3 Magazine’s June 2021 edition to discuss our mission, and how inspire and empower girls and young women to explore career opportunities in STEM.

Download Full Article [PDF]:

It is with regret that we need to inform you that we have taken the difficult decision to postpone all forthcoming Love Tech events, due to the unprecedented times we’re facing with regards the Covid-19 outbreak across the World.

The health and safety of everyone who supports Love Tech, whether it is a child, parent or volunteer, is of paramount importance to us and we believe that this is the right and most conscientious course of action for all concerned.

We have therefore placed all events, board and committee meetings on hold for the short term and we will continue to share updates and STEM related content via our social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).

The committee is looking forward to delivering more exciting events in the near future.

The Love Tech Team x

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 14 TH OCTOBER 2019

Love Tech invites award winning game development studio to the Island, to run free workshops for the next generation of developers

Love Tech is delighted to announce a new event in their November calendar: two FREE Game Development Workshops run by award – winning Game Doctor Ltd.

Game Doctor Ltd is a game development studio in the UK that builds educational games for children, primarily around healthcare. They aim to transfer STEM and health education through the production of digital media. Founded by microbiologist Dr Carla Brown, the company develops mobile games, software and media to educate communities about complex topics in science and healthcare.

The two workshops will be run by Dr Brown and her senior developer, who are traveling to the Island for this purpose, at Love Tech’s invitation. Dr Brown is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and TedX speaker, and Game Doc tor Ltd has won multiple awards for their approach to learning. The two workshops take place on 23 and 24 November, with the Saturday event designed for a younger audience of 12 to 15 – year olds, and the Sunday event for 15 to 18 – year olds. Workshop attendees will learn about developing “tech for good”, with a focus on skill sets and career options in game development and technology, how to differentiate a good idea from a poor one and how to design a game to solve a problem. At the end of each workshop, attendees will pitch their ideas to a small set of judges and their peers for critique and feedback.

Dr Brown, CEO of Game Dr Ltd, said : “This is our first visit to the Isle of Man, and we are excited to learn more about the Island and meet the students involved in the workshops. ”

Lydia Barbara, Love Tech committee member and Chair of Digital Isle of Man, said : “Game development has consistently been the most popular aspirational career choice for the students Love Tech has engaged with so far, and we couldn’t be more pleased to host Dr Brown and her colleague.”

Both workshops are taking place in the Barclays Eagle Lab in Douglas. Tickets are available via Eventbrite for both the younger group on 23rd November https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/game-development-workshop-tickets-74093556823 and the older group on 24th November https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/game-development-workshop-tickets – 74094527727.

Whilst on the Island, Dr Brown will also speak at the Google Developer Group’s first ‘ DevFest ’, which takes place on 22 and 23 November in the Hubb, located above the Eagle Lab. More information can be found on www.devfest.im.

Love Tech has also just announced their second Book Club event, now running until the 2nd November. For information about these and future events, please visit the Love Tech website www.lovetech.im/events

Local not-for-profit ‘Love Tech’ formed late 2017 to raise awareness of career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for girls and women on the Isle of Man, have held their first major fundraising event, wowing hundreds of local cinema goers in the process!

The inaugural fundraiser, which raised £11,500 for Love Tech, took place on Saturday 19 January 2019 at the Broadway Cinema with more than two hundred and fifty people in attendance. The general public including many young students and local businesses were blown away by the Isle of Man premiere of highly acclaimed, award-winning documentary, General Magic.

The film, co-produced and co-directed by Manx-born Sarah Kerruish, was followed by an informative and exclusive Q&A session with the director and compered by Christy De Haven. The film is the story of one of history’s most talented technology teams. From the first smartphones to social media, e-commerce and even emojis, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry and our day-to-day lives were born at General Magic, a 1989 Silicon Valley start-up that most of us haven’t heard of. This fascinating documentary is a tale of how great vision and epic failure can change the world.

Filmmaker Sarah Kerruish commented:

“I can’t thank the Love Tech team enough for everything they did and for making my homecoming so special. It meant so much to me to be able to share the film and the story of making it, with such a warm audience. It felt like so many strands of my life coming together and it was definitely the most meaningful screening for me to date.”

Love Tech Director and Account Director for Continent 8 Technologies, Roberta Castle commented:

“Sarah is a true inspiration and we were so proud to be able to bring her back to the Island to share her incredible documentary and story with so many people. Sarah’s talent for filmmaking and storytelling is evident, as is her passion for technology and we were delighted to have such a great role model supporting our cause.”

Claire Milne, co-founder of Love Tech and Partner at Appleby, added:

“We want to thank our fantastic sponsors and everyone who purchased a ticket for the event. We’re thrilled with the level of funds raised and we’re looking forward to delivering many more exciting events in 2019.”

To find out more about Love Tech’s future events, visit our Events page.

More information about how to see GENERAL MAGIC can be found at www.generalmagicthemovie.com.

Love Tech Isle of Man, formed in 2017 to raise awareness about career opportunities for girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), announce their latest event to take place on Saturday 19 January 2019 at the Broadway Cinema, Douglas.

The first official fund raising event for the not-for-profit will see Manx-born, award-winning filmmaker Sarah Kerruish return to the Isle of Man to premiere her highly acclaimed independent film and documentary ‘General Magic’.

The first of two screenings kindly supported by Digital Isle of Man, Continent 8 Technologies, GameOn Marketing and IT Works will be shown at lunchtime, exclusively for teenagers between the age of 14 and 18. Tickets are just £10 each and include the film, refreshments, and a cinema ‘goody bag’. The evening event kindly supported by Annexio, The Stars Group, Continent 8 Technologies, GameOn Marketing and Digital Isle of Man is priced at £60 per ticket and aimed at the local business community. Tickets include a welcome glass of fizz, soft drinks, dinner, the film, refreshments and a cinema ‘goody bag’. Book tickets here

Sarah Kerruish, co-director and co-producer of the film, grew up on the Isle of Man, but after embarking on a Manx scholarship with the University of Idaho found the course of her life changed forever. She lived in the US for 20 years, the last 15 of which were spent in Silicon Valley, where she worked alongside some of the great inventors of our age.

The film ‘General Magic’ is the story of one of history’s most talented technology teams. From the first smartphones to social media, e-commerce and even emojis, the ideas that now dominate the tech industry and our day-to-day lives were born at General Magic, a 1989 Silicon Valley start-up that most of us haven’t heard of. This fascinating documentary is a tale of how great vision and epic failure can change the world.

The film features members of the original Mac team along with the creators of the iPhone, Android and eBay, whose visions of the future have shaped our lives today. The film captures the spirit of those of us who dare to dream big and the life-changing consequences when we fail, fail again, fail better, and ultimately succeed. The trailer can be seen here: www.generalmagicthemovie.com

Following each screening, compere Christy DeHaven will be joined by Sarah Kerruish on stage for a question and answer session.

Love Tech Director and Account Director for Continent 8 Technologies, Roberta Castle commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Sarah back to the Island for this exciting event, not only to share her inspiring and incredible journey, but to also premiere the fascinating story of General Magic with the Manx public. Love Tech’s mission is to inspire, engage and empower girls to explore career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and what an incredible role model we have in Sarah.”

Sarah Kerruish added:
“Our hope is that General Magic will inspire the next generation of technologists and makers to learn from those who have gone before them and apply the lessons of General Magic to solving the most important problems of our day.”

For more information on how to purchase tickets for either of the two events, follow Love Tech on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit www.lovetech.im/events.

Love Tech Isle of Man, which formed late last year to raise awareness amongst girls about the opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), is to hold its official launch event on Saturday 14th July, following a series of successful workshops earlier in the year.

The FREE to attend event will take place at the new Barclays Eagle Lab on Victoria Street, Douglas, on Saturday 14th July from 12pm-3pm.

Girls of all ages as well as parents are invited to come along and have some fun, meet the Love Tech team as well as their community partners: the Isle of Man Code Club, Girl Guiding Isle of Man, University College Isle of Man, the Henry Bloom Library and social media expert Alison Teare from Simply Marketing.

What a fantastic event last week helping to inspire young girls about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, through our Intelligent Coding workshop, held at University College Isle of Man. Big thanks to Owen Cutajar from Isle of Man Code Club and UCM for all their help, and to Microgaming Play it Forward for the ‘Women who changed the world’ books and Continent 8 Technologies – Isle of Man for the chocolate plaques. The girls had a brilliant time and we’re looking forward to holding more inspirational events for girls of all ages, in the near future. Watch this space, as we have some exciting news coming soon!

Julie Farrar, a Girl Guiding volunteer commented “To complete their badge the Brownies had to be able to use a browser to do research, know how to produce a document, save and print, and understand the importance of safety, privacy and safeguarding of their own digital ID. The girls also saw how coding could give direct instructions to the Sphero balls and were able to experience virtual reality first hand. We are always looking for opportunities to develop the exciting and bright minds of our girls and these tech workshops prove that ‘Girls can do anything’.”