Tag: Kinia

Tech-Loving Kids Will Love These Educational Kits from Kinia

This Christmas, Kinia, Ireland’s leading education-focused non-profit and social enterprise, is proud to unveil its specially curated collection of creative tech and educational kits from the Kinia Shop designed to delight kids (and anyone aged 8+) who love to make and empower the next generation of changemakers.

Purposeful shopping, powerful impact!

By choosing Kinia, you’re not just buying a gift, every purchase made directly fuels programmes that empower young people, giving them opportunities to grow, learn and transform their futures. Kinia’s 2030 target is to engage 800,000 young people in Creative Technology, Digital Skills, Literacy, and Numeracy programmes, equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in the digital age. Every single purchase can spark a brighter future for schools and youth services that need support and resources.

Top Christmas Tech Gifts That Inspire and Educate:

 Build a DIY Slide Projector, €18.00
A creative twist on old-school tech, this kit helps young learners understand how light and optics work, all while having fun building a functioning slide projector.

 Build a Night Lantern Kit, €18.00
Create your own starlit night sky! Create your own glowing sky full of stars, planets, and cosmic magic and learn science and design skills.

 Build a Coin Eating Robot, €18.00
This quirky maker kit is a mechanical piggy bank that doesn’t just “swallow” coins; it’s an introduction  to the world of mechanics and electrical circuits.

 Build a Remote Control Car, €18.00
Hands-on learning meets high-speed fun! Kids can build their remote-controlled car while exploring mechanics, electronics, and wireless technology.

 Mini Podcasting Starter Kit, €163.75
Kick off a holiday podcast together with this all-in-one kit, then keep creating as they master the art of audio storytelling building communication skills, creativity, and confidence that last long after the Christmas Tree comes down.

 Mobile Filmmaking Kit, €300.00
Perfect for budding vloggers and future filmmakers, this all-in-one kit transforms any smartphone into a mini pro-studio. From lighting to sound, it’s everything they need to shoot, edit, and share their stories in style while building real-world creative skills that last a lifetime.

Why Choose a Kinia Gift This Christmas?

  • Buy Irish, Give Back: With every purchase, you support an Irish non-profit and help bridge the digital divide, funding creative education for young people nationwide.

  • Gifts That Teach: All products help develop skills like creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, digital literacy, and lifelong learning. Every product is used by Kinia’s team in real educational settings, so you know it’s good, and it’s been tried and tested!

  • Learn and Build Together: These kits aren’t just for kids, they’re for the whole family. Each activity becomes a chance to connect, create, and learn together. Create lasting memories while developing skills such as communication and collaboration, that will last a lifetime.

  • Confidence Building: Kids build confidence through hands-on learning while building our STEM kits. They come with an affirmations checklist, and a Kinia skills tracker with stickers included to help celebrate their progress.

  • Sustainable and eco conscious: Kinia’s Creative and Educational STEM kits are made from mostly wooden, sustainable materials and even the packaging is recyclable and reusable. The instructions include fun activity ideas to repurpose what you’ve built so you can keep learning and having fun.

This Christmas, make your gift count. Shop local and with purpose, inspire curiosity, and empower change only at the Kinia Shop.

Shop now at https://shop.kinia.ie/

Google Unveils New AI Education Programmes for Irish Students

Google Ireland is today announcing the launch of two new AI education programmes to improve AI literacy across Ireland, via Kinia and ADAPT. These initiatives will equip students and teachers with the essential skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven future.

Experience AI has been co-developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and Google DeepMind to provide teachers with free classroom resources and professional development, enabling them to teach students about AI technologies and how they are changing the world. In Ireland, Raspberry Pi Foundation is working with Kinia, funded by a €360,000 grant from Google.org, to ensure that young people can actively participate in shaping their own futures. Kinia will provide bi-lingual (Irish and English) interactive and engaging AI content to 800 educators and meet the skills needs of over 14,000 young people in Ireland.

AI Literacy in the Classroom, led by ADAPT, is a training initiative designed to help secondary school teachers boost their AI literacy and empower students to use AI critically. The programme will comprise workshops and online resources, co-created with teachers to ensure it aligns with their needs. Developed in alignment with current AI education policies and training provisions from the Department of Education, the programme aims to equip teachers with the essential AI knowledge and practical insights to navigate AI in the classroom and guide students to use AI-powered tools safely and ethically. With support from Google, the initiative is designed to ensure AI is taught responsibly.

Speaking at the launch, Vanessa Hartley, Head of Google Ireland, said:

“AI has the power to reshape our approach to society’s biggest issues, promising extraordinary breakthroughs that can improve billions of lives. That’s why we want to equip Ireland’s young people and educators with the skills needed to understand and navigate this transformative technology. Our support for Kinia and ADAPT underlines our commitment to making AI literacy accessible across Ireland, ensuring that students are prepared to shape an AI-enabled future that benefits all of society.”

Obum Ekeke OBE, Head of Education Partnerships at Google DeepMind, said:

“We are incredibly excited to see the launch of Experience AI in Ireland. AI is rapidly shaping our world, and we believe every young Irish student deserves the opportunity to understand and engage with this transformative technology. By making AI education more inclusive, we can help young people make more informed decisions about using AI applications in their daily lives, and encourage safe and responsible use of the technology.”

Marianne Checkley, CEO of Kinia, said:

“We are very proud and delighted to introduce Experience AI to schools and youth services in Ireland. As a programme co-created by educators and industry, Experience AI offers a unique chance for young people in Ireland to access immersive content that brings together real world relevance and the future view of artificial intelligence. Underpinned by our mission at Kinia this funding support also addresses a critical societal need, to make sure that all young people will be in a position to seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges of the future.”

Professor John Kelleher, Director of Adapt, said: 

“We have seen first hand how excited teachers are to bring AI into their classrooms but also how daunting it can be without the right support in place. That’s why we’re launching the ‘AI Literacy in the Classroom’ programme. It is all about helping teachers gain the AI knowledge and skills they need in a practical, hands-on way. We want to make sure they can use AI tools confidently and critically, so both teachers and students can thrive in this AI-driven world. This initiative reflects ADAPT’s commitment to real-world education and ensuring we’re equipping the next-generation to embrace the future as responsible digital citizens.”

Philip Colligan, Chief Executive, Raspberry Pi Foundation said:

“We are delighted to welcome Kinia to our Experience AI global network of partners. Working together with Kinia, we look forward to equipping teachers with the skills needed to teach AI confidently, ensuring it’s both engaging and relevant for their students. Through the partnership, we aim to ensure that over 14,000 young people in Ireland develop a foundational understanding of AI technologies and the role that they can play in their lives.”

For more information and to sign up for the Experience AI, teachers can visit experience-ai.org/. For more information and to sign up for the AI Literacy in the Classroom Programme, teachers can visit www.adaptcentre.ie/ai-literacy-in-the-classroom

Google Ireland host Kinia Educator TechFest

Google Ireland is hosting the Kinia Educator TechFest, a unique event that brings educators
together with the aim of increasing access to digital and STEM skills for young people, on Tuesday, November 14th.
This marks the second year of the event, which focuses on future skills, diversity, equity and access to digital learning
for young people across Ireland.

The event, which will take place in The Foundry at Google’s Dublin HQ, is open to all teachers, youth workers and
those in Ireland working with children in a teaching or youth development role through either English or Irish.
Organised by Kinia, an education non-profit charity and social enterprise, the event will feature panel discussions,
keynote speakers, industry professionals, educators, and youth representatives, covering themes which include:
“Addressing the skills gap,” “AI – the future and impact on education” and “Building inclusive careers and
learning pathways”.

Keynote speakers at this year’s event include ICT professional and entrepreneur Victoria Nxumalo, founder of AI
Ireland Mark Kelly, and founder and CEO of Mint-Tek Siobhán Ní Chofaigh. Educators attending the event can also
take part in two free skills-building workshops focused on the areas of AI, VR, green technology, smart energy, MoJo,
robotics and podcasting.

The event will also feature the launch of the updated Kinia Academy, an online community learning space, which will
enable educators to learn at their own pace while taking part in funded training opportunities with Kinia.
Marianne Checkley, CEO of Kinia, said “Educators in all youth settings work incredibly hard to make sure that no
young person is left behind in an increasingly complex and digital future. We want to celebrate their commitment to
professional development and creative learning at this event, inspiring the next wave of technology skills and giving
them a space to connect with peers and learn from other experiences.”
Victoria Nxumalo, founder and executive director of girls In STEM Trust, said: “The future of work will form the
basis of a great discussion at this year’s event. It will also be immensely interesting to explore the skills both educators
and young people will need to equip themselves with in preparation for jobs that will inevitably exist over the next few
years as AI and other 4IR technologies continue to evolve.”
For more information about the event, please visit: https://kinia-educator-techfest.zohobackstage.eu/event