The 19 students who participated in the “Game Design and Development” and “Build your Robot for the Future” training courses, taught at Técnico – Taguspark campus, received their diplomas last weekend, after presenting their learning outcomes. These training courses are part of the “Experimenta-te” project, a partnership between Técnico and the Oeiras City Hall.

The ceremony took place last Sunday, June 19, at Centro Cultural Alternativo – Nirvana Studios, in Barcarena. In total, 130 participants attended the eleven training courses in the fields of Arts, Know-how and Technology.

In the “Game Design and Development” training course, the trainees and trainers proudly shared their results, which allowed them to create interactive games from scratch. “I have always been curious about how to make a game, from a creative and a mathematical perspective. I liked everything about this course, especially programming games. It was really funny. There are a lot of mechanics that I didn’t know, but with the support of our trainer it was easier”, says the trainee Francisco Évora.

The trainer Miguel Seabra, shared that it was exciting following the entire process of learning and developing ideas until reaching the final result. “This year, it was really interesting seeing students who are taking this course for the second time. Although they are familiar with the different steps, it is always interesting to see them making a game from scratch”.

The students who attended the “Build your Robot for the Future” training course, exposed the built robots aimed at serving cookies and water to guests. “They didn’t have any basic knowledge about robotics, so we thought that could be a difficulty, but they adapted very well. I think they all surprised us in some way”, shares the trainer Caroline Tortorelli.

Miguel Silva’s high expectations about the course were exceeded. “This course was very interesting for me. We learnt a lot of things, including how to make a robot control app”.

The ceremony, which was broadcast live on Oeiras Municipality facebook page, also included other project presentations, such as dancing, singing, tasting, photographic art, fashion show and other events that delighted the visitors.

Pedro Patacho, Councillor of the Oeiras City Hall for Education, Science and Youth, highlighted that the “Experimenta-te” project allows young people and families to broaden their experiences and opportunities, and congratulated the young participants for their courage: “What you did today is the result of hard work and personal effort, so it has enormous value”.

The “Experimenta-te” project was launched in 2018 by the Oeiras City Hall, under the motto “Aprender, Experimentar e Apresentar” (“Learn, Experiment and Present”), and it has provided training to hundreds of young people, aged between 12 and 18, who live and/or study in Oeiras.