BuildingBloCS: By Students For Students

BuildingBloCS: By Students, For Students

BuildingBloCS is Singapore’s one and only annual computing education outreach programme organised by students from several schools, for students. It was started in 2017 by a group of passionate Dunman High A-Level Computing students who wanted to share their interest in computing science with others. They reached out to computing students from other Junior Colleges (JC) and Polytechnics and after months of plannings and discussions, BuildingBloCS was born. This event is unique in that it gathers individuals from different backgrounds but with a common passion for technology, and provides a platform for them to utilise various their experiences and talents to organise a free-for-all event for fellow students.

In the first year, BuildingBloCS mainly focused on promoting O-Level Computing to younger students as it was a new subject that many were still apprehensive towards. As for those already taking the subject, the event still served as a platform to inspire students to explore other areas of computing beyond what was taught in school.

Held in June, the event saw a turn up of 400 students from various secondary schools. The two-day programme consisted of talks by Google and Carousell, sharings by A-Level Computing students about the subject, educational workshops, and an app development competition. Through the event, participants gained insight into the exciting possibilities that computing brought and how they could use it to enrich their own lives and those around them. Through the interaction and conversations with seniors and those working in the tech industry, the younger students were also inspired to study Computer Science and even pursue a career in the tech industry in future.

Not only did the event open a whole new world to the participants, the student organisers and facilitators also benefited much. The event presented a service-learning opportunity for them, a platform to showcase their projects and share their experiences, as well as gain connections with others who have a common passion for technology. BuildingBloCS was indeed a fun-filled learning experience for everyone involved.

With the event being such a success, BuildingBloCS became a permanent fixture on the calendars of Computing students. The second year of BuildingBlocs involved even more JCs in the organising committee and it also reached out to more schools to participate. The event extended beyond the two days to include regular pre-event activities, such as online courses and workshops.

Much more fun and games were injected in the event as well where students learned a dance that incorporated computing concepts, and sang songs about common experiences when programming.

Students walked away with prizes from the competition and lucky draw, and more importantly, a new interest in technology and programming.

With each year, the blocks are stacking higher. BuildingBloCS 2019 is anticipated to be bigger than ever with Google offering to sponsor the event. This means more publicity, facilities, and activities can be carried out, and more students can benefit from it. With less financial constraint, what becomes of BuildingBloCS’19 is all up to imagination. BuildingBloCS is definitely an event to look forward to this year!

To learn more about BuildingBloCS’19, do visit its website at this link.