Free, London: Code and Create Workshop for Teens, part of #LondonDataWeek

This is a free workshop in London aimed at 13-14 year olds but anyone up to the age of 16 is welcome. You will need to bring a laptop in order to take part.

This event is part of London Data Week.

Code and Create Workshop for Teens

(the teal-coloured registration link is on the left of the info page)
2 July 2024
4.15pm – 7.45pm
British Council
FREE!

Banner for the Code and Create Workshop for Teens

Address: British Council, 1 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. Nearest station is Stratford Station (Accessible via Jubilee, Elizabeth, DLR, Central and Overground lines)

Time: 16:15 – 19:45

Are you a teenager interested in the fascinating world of artificial intelligence and coding? Join British Council’s AI experts for an exciting workshop designed to introduce you to the basics of AI, chatbots and programming. 

In this event, we’ll recreate a classic arcade game using ChatGPT, a large language model, before putting your pitching skills to the test with the chance to demo your game and win prizes.

No prior experience or knowledge is required – just bring your curiosity and enthusiasm! 

Agenda: 

4:15-4:30pm – Registration at the British Council reception 

4:30-5:15pm – Brief of the task from our instructors, group allocation and introductory exercises (introduction to ChatGPT, Jupyter Notebook interface, Python libraries, how to build/test a game) 

5:15-6:00pm – Main task Part 1 (building one of four pre selected game types with the assistance of one instructor per 3 students) 

6:00-6:30pm – Refreshment break 

6:30-7:00pm – Main task Part 2 (testing game and writing the final pitch) 

7:00-7:45pm – Final pitch, demos and prizes (5 mins per group and prizes) 

Please note: Minimum age to participate is 13, due to ChatGPT minimum sign-up age.

Please bring your own laptop, as we cannot guarantee we’ll be able to provide one on the day, and may only be able to provide one for a few participants.

Please create your own free ChatGPT account to use during the workshop. An account can be created here.

This event is suitable for 13-14 year olds, however older students are welcome up to the age of 16.


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EPSRC supports this blog through research grant EP/W033615/1.

“The Truth About AI” – get ready to get tickets to the Ri Christmas Lectures 2023 #XmasLectures with @Ri_Science

Prof Mike Woolridge introduces this year’s Ri Christmas Lectures, on The Truth About AI.

Every year the Royal Institution (‘the Ri’) in London has a series of free Christmas Lectures for young people aged 11 to 17, and their parents or guardians. These lectures take place in the historic Faraday Lecture theatre and are (1) recorded live in mid-December and (2) live-streamed in various UK venues, then will be (3) broadcast on BBC Four over the Christmas holidays. The lectures will also be available on BBC iPlayer and live on the Ri’s lecture recordings page.

Grab a free ticket!

You can apply for free tickets when the ballot opens on 14th September.

“Due to their popularity, tickets to the filming are made available through a ballot open exclusively to Ri Young Members, Members and Patrons, as a thank you for their support throughout the year. Tickets are also made available for free to UK registered schools in disadvantaged communities.

The 2023 ballot opens on Thursday 14 September and closes on Wednesday 11 October.”

There are three recording sessions this year, all from 6pm to 8.30pm, on Tuesday 12, Thursday 14th and Saturday 16th December.

You can attend a livestream event

For those who don’t manage to get tickets there are lots of ‘overflow rooms‘ around the country, sharing the lectures as they’re being given – as a livestream. Queen Mary University of London (we’re based in Mile End) is one of them, but more venues around the country are being added. We’ll share more information in a few weeks about how you can get tickets for our own livestream events.

This year’s lecture

We think readers of this blog might particularly enjoy this year’s topic – “The Truth About AI” – which will be unveiled in a series of lectures given by Prof Mike Woolridge from Oxford University (Hertford College).

Photo credit: Paul Wilkinson

“Not since the World-Wide Web emerged 30 years ago has a new technology promised to change our world so fundamentally and so swiftly as AI does.  Today’s AI tools such as ChatGPT and AlphaGo are just a hint of what is to come. The future of AI is going to be quite a journey, and the 2023 CHRISTMAS LECTURES to be broadcast on BBC Four and iPlayer in late December, will give us a guided tour.

AI has increasingly grabbed the headlines in recent years – generating excitement and concern in equal measure – but what should we believe? In these lectures Mike will reveal how AI works and how it will affect our lives – and will tackle head-on our hopes and fears for this most fascinating of fields.”

read more at The Truth About AI

Our AI resources

We have a free AI booklet for young people which you can download as a PDF, and a classroom activity in which a piece of paper will probably beat you at noughts and crosses. Also plenty of our previous blog posts about artificial intelligence.

See if you can beat a piece of paper at noughts and crosses…

A classroom activity for teachers to try with their class is our Intelligent Piece of Paper activity. Can your class beat a piece of paper in a game of noughts and crosses aka tic tac toe?


EPSRC supports this blog through research grant EP/W033615/1.