KINGSTON, Jamaica – In a deliberate push to narrow the gender gap in technology, local telecom provider Flow and its philanthropic arm, the Flow Foundation, celebrated the annual International Girls in ICT Day with an interactive artificial intelligence workshop designed to build practical skills and self-assurance among young female learners ahead of their entry into the fast-changing digital sector. Spearheaded by the International Telecommunication Union, Girls in ICT Day is observed globally every fourth Thursday of April, with a core mission to inspire more young women and girls to pursue academic pathways and professional careers in information and communication technology, a field long marked by gender underrepresentation.
This year’s Jamaican iteration of the celebration, held at Flow’s Corporate Lounge in Kingston under the focused theme “AI for Development: Girls Shaping the Digital Future”, drew more than 100 high school students from across the island for a hands-on, forward-looking learning experience that moved far beyond theoretical discussion. Veteran AI transformation strategist and entrepreneur Stacey Hines led the workshop, walking participants through core AI fundamentals and highlighting tangible, real-world use cases for the technology, with a specific focus on relevant applications developed and deployed across the Caribbean region.
Attendees explored how AI can be leveraged to address many of the most urgent social and economic challenges facing their communities, worked in collaborative teams to draft their own AI-powered solutions to local problems, and even got the chance to design custom animated AI avatars, putting their new skills to immediate use. “High school girls across Jamaica are growing up into a world where AI literacy is no longer a niche skill – it’s a core competency for almost any growing career,” Hines explained during the event. “This session gave them direct access to the tools, the framework, and the supportive community they need to step into that world with confidence. That is what makes this work so critical. It creates room for curiosity, grows digital confidence, and makes clear that girls belong at the center of global innovation, not on the sidelines. Our goal here is not just to teach them what AI is – it’s to show them how it can open doors, strengthen local communities, and create clear pathways to leadership for them.”
The day’s activities wrapped up with an energetic pitch competition, where participating teams presented their AI-driven concepts to judges, showcasing how their ideas could solve pressing local challenges. Through funding from the Flow Foundation, every member of the first-place team took home a Samsung tablet in recognition of their standout creativity, teamwork, and forward-thinking approach. Teams placing second and third were awarded smartphones paired with multi-month data plans to support their continued tech learning.
For many of the young attendees, the workshop proved to be both a revelation and a source of empowerment. Kaylee Braimbridge, an 11th-grade student at Vauxhall High School, shared that the event “made AI feel less intimidating and showed me that I can actually use it to solve problems in my community and even build something of my own one day.”
Maya Walrond, Senior Director for Digital Transformation at Flow, emphasized that the workshop is just one part of the company’s long-term commitment to fostering Jamaica’s digital evolution. “At Flow, we recognize that the future strength of our nation is deeply tied to how well we prepare our young people to thrive in an increasingly digital global economy,” Walrond said. “Initiatives like this are not just about giving girls exposure to new technology – they are about empowerment. We are building meaningful, accessible, and enjoyable opportunities for girls to engage with cutting-edge emerging technologies, build innovation skills, and see themselves as leaders in Jamaica’s ongoing digital transformation journey.”
Beyond investing in digital infrastructure across the island, Flow is using targeted community initiatives like this AI workshop to invest directly in Jamaica’s next generation of tech leaders. By equipping young women with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to engage with emerging technologies, the company is working to build a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable digital future for the entire country.