Students learn, and build, the future
When the Click to Start Foundation (CTSF) planned its Robotics Pilot programme, the strategy was well laid out.
“The original intent was to have the instructors build the robots and have the students learn to programme them,” says Sergio Mathurin, main facilitator on the project, “but that plan had to be readjusted when we realised they were more interested in building robots. Putting together the circuits and hands-on construction were the real fun and learning elements for them.”
Held in December 2025, in conjunction with Bishop Anstey High School and Trinity College East (BATCE), the CTSF’s Robotics Pilot programme was a week-long, camp-like experiment that gave students the opportunity to both learn about, and build, robots.
The pilot ran just after end-of-term exams. Ten students were selected to participate from Bishop Anstey and Trinity College East, so there were equal numbers of male and female students from forms three and four. The key criteria for participation according to Mathurin, who also designed the course, was basic physics proficiency, high enthusiasm, and (maybe) ideas about electronics.
“I had no idea how complicated it is to programme a robot to do the simplest of tasks,” says Anushka Wickham, a form four student at Bishops Anstey High School. “Now that I know, I will be using what I learnt in the course to complete my Information Technology SBA (school-based assessment).”
Working in groups of three, the students competitively built and programmed the bots to move and blink, and complete simple tasks, such as turning a light on and off. One all-female group stood out for its high competency at wiring and construction. These tasks were followed up by them writing code and uploading it to the robots.
Mathurin, whose primary job is as an instructor at The UWI’s Department of Computing and Information Technology, has been volunteering with the Click to Start Foundation for the last decade. He designs and facilitates courses for the CTSF that take technology learning to youth and underserved adults, and for partnership projects in Trinidad and Tobago where there is need. The CTSF was founded and is led by another UWI staff member, Abigail Wren, who works at the Campus IT Services.
The CTSF survives on corporate sponsorships to buy hardware, but the consistent donation of time and skills of a core group of volunteers keep projects running year-round. In December, they also hosted “Giving a Gift of Tech”, an annual event at the St Augustine campus that provides mentorship, support and gifts to youths under 16 from community organisations, groups, and homes in the East-West Corridor.
Principal of Trinity College East Ms Alana Harewood says that, “All students were eager to learn”, explaining that some were previously exposed to aspects of robotics through the school’s technology education curriculum and their X-Labs co-curricular clubs.
Speaking on the future of the programme, Mathurin says the CTSF will apply the lessons taken from the pilot to design a full-fledged robotics camp. He hopes to offer a longer and more technologically challenging programme to a bigger pool of students.
CTSF is always seeking new volunteers to improve its reach. “If you think you have skills that the Click to Start Foundation can channel or just a commitment to community volunteer work, and would like to join us,” they advise, “find us on any social media platform and introduce yourself.”
