Empowering Youth through Robotics: The 13th World Robot Olympiad in Mexico Encourages Participation and Democratizes STEAM Education
The 13th edition of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is set to take place in Mexico in 2024, and its national organizer, Jorge Hernández Huerta, has emphasized the importance of democratizing robotics and promoting STEAM education among children. He particularly highlighted the significance of encouraging the participation of girls and young people in these disciplines to address existing gender disparities.
The WRO aims to increase the involvement of girls and adolescents, as their participation in previous Olympiads has been only at 30 percent. By nurturing talent from childhood through the appropriate spaces and tools, the competition hopes to empower early on and offer opportunities for future vocational training.
Hernández Huerta believes that providing children with experiences in various fields is crucial for laying the foundation for their future career choices. The WRO, which originated in Asia in 2004, aligns with Mexico’s mission to introduce children to robotics and other technology-related fields from a young age.
Over the past 12 years, Mexico has made significant strides in introducing children as young as five years old to robotics and STEAM education. The WRO has been pivotal in promoting learning opportunities in these areas, boasting over 95 affiliated countries and a community of more than 75,000 students globally.
The WRO is a thematic competition that offers various categories for teams of children and young people aged 8 to 19 to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges using STEAM and robotics. This year’s theme focuses on “Allies of the Earth,” with teams of 2 or 3 participants guided by a coach designing, building, and programming a robot model capable of completing challenges aligned with the competition’s theme. Registration information, rules, and details can be found on the WRO website. The tournament will have qualifying rounds between May and July, culminating in the national final in September and the international final in Turkey in November.
