On a transformative Wednesday in western Kingston, Jamaica, female students from Denham Town High School and Tivoli Gardens High School gathered for an immersive day of collaborative, hands-on innovation that bridges cutting-edge technology and urgent climate action. The event, a Girls in ICT Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change Hackathon, was hosted at Denham Town High through a partnership between the Digicel Foundation and STEM Spark Solutions, growing out of the foundation’s long-running mission to shrink the gender gap in the technology sector.
For years, the Digicel Foundation’s Girls in ICT initiative has worked to equip young women with the technical skills, professional confidence, and real-world industry exposure required to build successful careers in an increasingly digital global economy. This hackathon expanded that mission by tying technology proficiency directly to a crisis that hits close to home for Jamaican communities: climate-related natural disaster resilience.
Throughout the day, participating students explored the many practical applications of artificial intelligence to address pressing climate and disaster challenges. Central to the event’s curriculum was exploring how AI can be leveraged across all stages of a major weather event: from forecasting extreme storm trajectories more accurately, tracking gradual environmental shifts that increase disaster risk, and building community-centered solutions that help local populations bounce back faster after catastrophe.
Digicel Foundation Chief Executive Officer Charmaine Daniels emphasized the critical urgency of including young women in the growing AI sector. “We stand at a defining turning point in global history, where artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, every career path, and every part of daily life,” Daniels explained. “If we do not make intentional space for our girls to join this space right now, we will risk leaving an entire generation excluded from the opportunities shaping our future. Introducing girls to AI and information and communications technology is about giving them the tools to protect their families, their communities, and the environment they depend on — that is the core of what this day was built to achieve.”
This year’s hackathon centered specifically on disaster preparedness, a theme that carries deep personal meaning for most participants. Just one year prior, in October 2023, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa swept through Jamaica, leaving widespread destruction in its wake across communities including Denham Town and Tivoli Gardens. Against that backdrop, students worked through practical exercises to test how AI can strengthen early warning systems, streamline emergency response coordination during a storm, and speed community recovery and rebuilding efforts after the event passes.
Dianne Plummer, CEO of STEM Spark Solutions and a professional engineer, explained the personal, community-focused vision that shaped the event’s design. “These young women already know firsthand what it looks like when a Category 5 hurricane rips through their neighborhood — when power goes out for days, when roads flood, when entire communities have to put themselves back together piece by piece,” Plummer said. “Our goal today was to show them that artificial intelligence gives us the power to prepare more effectively before a storm, respond faster when it hits, and recover smarter after it passes. When a young woman from Denham Town or Tivoli Gardens can build a climate model or design a functional early warning system, she stops being just someone affected by climate disaster and becomes a core part of the solution.”
Observers noted the tangible energy and purpose that filled the space throughout the day, with participants diving into their collaborative projects with remarkable creativity and drive. For many attendees, the event marked their first meaningful introduction to artificial intelligence as a tool for good. Ameerah Burke, a ninth-grade student at Denham Town High, said the experience changed her perspective on what she can accomplish through STEM. “When the team showed us how AI can predict exactly where a storm is going to hit and help planners map out safe evacuation routes, it made me rethink what I can contribute to my community,” Burke shared. “We lived through Hurricane Melissa, and I’ll never forget how scary it was not knowing what was coming next. If AI can help keep people safer through that, I want to be one of the people building those systems.”