Tag: Teen-Turn

Tegan Timmons from Coláiste Bríde wins two awards at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition

A secondary school student from Coláiste Bríde, Dublin, has won two major awards at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, recognising her innovative project focused on improving young people’s relationship with food and nutrition.

Tegan Timmons was named winner of the SuperValu “Food for the Future” Award and also received third place in the Senior Individual category for her project, Nutritrack: Rethinking healthy eating.

The project impressed judges with its alternative approach to healthy eating apps, shifting the focus away from calorie counting and towards nutritional understanding. Nutritrack was designed in response to growing concerns about the impact of diet culture and calorie-focused apps on teenagers’ relationship with food.

Speaking about her motivation, Tegan said she wanted to challenge how existing apps frame food and eating. “I’ve noticed how calorie-counting and diet culture affect people my age, including people very close to me,” she said” “I wanted to explore whether there was a healthier, more supportive way to help teenagers understand food and nutrients.”

Through surveys and research carried out as part of the project, Tegan found that many young people reported skipping meals or feeling anxious about eating based on feedback from calorie-tracking apps. These findings informed the design of Nutritrack, which seeks to support healthier habits without reinforcing restrictive behaviours.

The project was developed through Teen-Turn’s Project Squad programme, with Tegan spending hours refining her research and technical approach alongside her mentor Leona Egan at The Digital Hub in Dublin. As part of Project Squad, Tegan also presented her work at SciFest@Teen-Turn, where the project received recognition before going on to achieve success at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

Reflecting on Tegan’s progress, Leona praised her commitment and growth over the course of the programme. “Balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities and a completely self-directed project was a real challenge,” she said. “Over time, Tegan developed strong organisational skills, confidence in her own thinking and a real sense of ownership over her work. By the time she presented at Stripe, she could clearly articulate her research, technical approach and the impact of her project.”

Commenting on the value of the experience Leona said: “Teen-Turn Programmes like Project Squad give students the time, support and confidence to take ownership of their ideas, develop resilience, and see that their work has real value beyond the classroom.”

Teen-Turn is a non-profit organisation that supports teenage girls to explore STEM through free after-school programmes, mentoring and hands-on projects. For ten years, through initiatives such as Project Squad, PLUS Club, Technovation, and Work Experience, students gain confidence, practical skills and insight into future education and career pathways in science and technology.

Summer in the Office: Inside a Teen-Turn Placement at Hostelworld

“If you had told me a few weeks ago that I’d be seriously considering a future in tech, I probably would have laughed, flipped my short hair, and gone back to minding my own creative business. But here we are,” says Fortunate, one of five teenage girls who recently completed a two-week placement at Hostelworld through the Teen-Turn programme.

Teen-Turn, an Irish charity, works to increase female participation in STEM by giving teenage girls from underserved communities practical, hands-on industry experience. Known as “Teenturnships,” these short placements pair participants directly with professionals in the field.

“The Teen-Turn and Hostelworld collaboration is seeing young women from underserved communities gaining the confidence, career insights, and skills needed to participate in the knowledge economy. The experience for the girls is particularly impactful because, as an Irish-founded company changing its industry through technology, they learn first-hand the potential of homegrown innovation in global business,” explains Joanne Dolan, Co-Founder of Teen-Turn.

While many of their peers were binge-watching the new Wednesday season or planning summer festivals, Fortunate, Lanyan, Sabah, Sania, and Janice spent their days in Hostelworld’s sunlit Dublin office. Their schedule was packed: machine-learning workshops, analytics sessions, meetings with just about every department — from finance to the data science team — and even a company-wide meeting with 200 employees joining from around the world.

“Standing in front of the entire company, even virtually, was definitely nerve-wracking,” says Sania. “My heart was racing, but as soon as I started speaking, I realised it was an incredible opportunity to put myself out there. This moment reminded me how important it is to project confidence even when you’re feeling nervous.”

Between training, there were also glimpses of office life — coffee runs, the unspoken competition for the best desk, and lunches by the Grand Canal. By the final afternoon, the five teenagers were presenting their projects, reflecting on the skills they had learned and the confidence they had gained.

“Hostelworld wasn’t just a workplace these past two weeks — it was a place where I laughed, learned, drank far too many lattes, and met people who genuinely cared about what I had to say,” says Fortunate.

Barry McCabe, Hostelworld’s Chief People Officer, says the benefits flow both ways:
“This is our third year partnering with Teen-Turn, and the benefits to both Hostelworld and the students continue to grow. Over two weeks, they explored roles across the business, building confidence and discovering new career paths. Their questions encouraged us to reflect on how we work and communicate. The programme is a great reminder of the value in opening up our workplaces and learning from the diverse perspectives of those just starting out.”

For Ireland, still grappling with a shortage of women in STEM despite tech’s explosive growth, Teenturnships offer more than skills. They chip away at systemic barriers, giving participants the confidence and experience to pursue careers that will shape the country’s future workforce.

Teen-Turn Launches 2025 Incubator in Galway

Last Saturday, teenage girls from across Ireland gathered at Portershed, a modern co-working hub in Galway’s city centre, for the launch of Teen-Turn’s 2025 Innovators programme, which is backed in part by BNY. The event marked the beginning of a year-long initiative designed to help participants turn promising afterschool projects into viable tech start-ups.

Each year, several Teen-Turn teams develop ideas with real commercial potential — projects that could be brought to market or at least developed into minimum viable products (MVPs). The Innovators programme supports these teams through incubator and accelerator phases. By offering expert mentorship and hands-on support, with guidance from industry and academic professionals, participants are taken through the early stages of the start-up process — from concept to MVP, and, in some cases, company formation.

“I’m really looking forward to this year’s Incubator and the opportunity to work with such a talented and driven group of young women,” said Iseult Mangan, Regional Manager for Teen-Turn. “It’s a privilege to be part of a programme that helps transform those ideas into real-world solutions with impact — empowering these girls to become founders, build sustainable companies, and contribute meaningfully to society.”

The projects in this year’s cohort are solving problems that are both personal and surprisingly universal — the kinds of ideas that don’t always come from the tech industry, but should. Examples include, from Shannon, Caoimhe, Chloe and Biella are building Focus Future, a platform to help families manage the day-to-day challenges of dementia care. From Claremorris, Ema and Simona are developing Evolve Era, an AI-powered health journal that helps track, analyse and potentially flag skin conditions before they escalate. Michaela (Galway), Orlaith (Mayo), and Flourish (Limerick) are behind Own It, an app designed to help girls and young women navigate menstrual health alongside their sporting and academic lives. And Laila (Longford) and Sofiia (Wicklow) are working on Sweet Health, a diabetes and sugar intake management app.

At the launch, the 2025 cohort had the chance to meet alumnae from previous years of Innovators — and get a glimpse of where their own projects might be headed next. Companies from the 2024 year group, who have graduated from the Incubator to the Accelerator phase, are now introducing to the market their tested MVPs. Donna Mae (Clare) and Dana (Mayo) created Gestura, a sign language learning and translation app. And Nora and Elizabeth, both from Galway, developed UNDump, an app encouraging the reuse and recycling of clothing and household items.

From the 2023 Innovators cohort, Mary Lillibeth, Katie and Aoibheann, all from Mayo, will now embark on the final programme phase of the Teen-Turn initiative, known as Vector. Vector groups benefit from PayPal supports. Their app, HerdSync, is a farm management tool designed to digitise how Irish farms are run. What started a couple of years ago as a Technovation project after school is now being adopted by target users.

At Saturday’s launch, the girls had the chance to work with mentors Joe Smyth, SVP of R&D, AI, Digital and Journey Management at Genesys and Co-founder of Altocloud, and Alice Shaughnessy, Clinical R&D Engineer at Luminate Medical and Co-founder of Mirr. Both entrepreneurs shared their own journeys to startup exits and offered guidance throughout the day. Providing young founders with the opportunity to meet people who have actually built something — those who have taken an idea and turned it into a real product, a real company — is a key part of the Innovators programme. “It wasn’t a huge event — just a small, focused group of teen girls and mentors in a hub — but it felt like the right space to start something meaningful,” said Laila Faissal, one of this year’s participants.

For those girls entering into the incubator phase, in particular, the day marked their first step into the business world not just as learners, but as creators and early-stage founders. With mentorship, peer support, and the backing of industry professionals, they’re developing skills — and products — that could shape Ireland’s future.  The work ahead of them won’t be easy. But the message is clear: they belong in the room — and they’re just getting started.

About Teen-Turn: Teen-Turn is an Irish non-profit organisation that provides teen girls, particularly those from underserved communities, the opportunity to gain hands-on STEM experience and the support to acquire qualifications and jobs. More information on their activities and the support they provide to girls is available at www.teen-turn.com.

Teen-Turn and PayPal host coding boot camp for global Technovation competition

Teen-Turn and PayPal recently joined forces to host a coding and app development boot camp at PayPal’s Dublin campus. This boot camp saw approximately 50 participants from schools and colleges across Ireland working with mentors and volunteers from PayPal for the global Technovation competition.

Teen-Turn, a volunteer-led organisation and registered charity, aims to support course decision-making processes, advise on education and career options, and promote the accessibility of STEM career environments for girls from underserved and underrepresented communities. Meanwhile, Technovation is a tech education nonprofit that offers interactive learning programs in which young people and adults learn how to use technology to solve real-world problems.

Whilst many of the attendees are taking part in this year’s Technovation competition, some of the attendees on the day were from previous years of the competition and presented the apps they have created and the social enterprises they have launched through the Teen-Turn Incubator and Accelerator Program – including HerdSync and UNdump. In addition to coding and app development, boot camp participants worked with mentors and volunteers on business plans to support the rollout of their innovations.

The attendees came from a range of areas and schools including Archbishop McHale College (Galway), Belmayne Educate Together Secondary School (Dublin), Coláiste Bríde (Dublin), Coláiste Nano Nagle (Limerick), Dominican College (Galway), Dunmore Community School (Galway), Galway Educate Together Secondary School, Glenamaddy Community School (Galway), Kylemore College (Dublin), Millstreet Community School (Cork), Mount Carmel Secondary School (Dublin), Mount St Michael Secondary School (Mayo), Mungret Community College (Limerick), Presentation Secondary School Warrenmount (Dublin), Salerno Secondary School (Galway), St Jarlath’s College (Galway), St Patrick’s Comprehensive School (Clare), and St Vincent’s (Cork).

Speaking about the event, Jacquie Murphy, Munster Co-ordinator with Teen-Turn, said: “We were blown away by the number of mentors in attendance to work with the girls on the day! The range of expertise was second to none, as was the warm welcome and friendly atmosphere. The girls were given expert advice, help and encouragement to make significant progress on their apps.

“Working with mentors in the STEM industry, including leaders such as PayPal, gives the girls an opportunity to visualise themselves in those roles in the future. Visiting the campus is an invaluable experience that many girls would not get to do as a second-level student in Ireland. We are incredibly grateful to the team at PayPal for their work on this boot camp visit.”

Siobhan Grogan, Community Impact lead for Dublin, PayPal, added: “We were delighted to host the Teen-Turn Technovation event at our Dublin campus. The talent and potential of the participants were truly awe-inspiring, with their innovative thinking impressing even our most experienced colleagues! Their passion, entrepreneurship, and determination, combined with the incredible support from our employees, made for an unforgettable experience. The future is certainly in great hands with the next generation.”

At PayPal, Employee Community Impact is important as a means of both helping the communities in which the organisation operates and empowering employees. Every year, PayPal employees make a positive impact through volunteering, charitable giving, and other engagement programmes. In 2023, PayPal employees contributed more than 118,000 volunteer hours in their local communities. The company’s ongoing commitment to making employee impact opportunities more accessible resulted in 67% of PayPal employees globally mobilising to support their communities.

Erin Mills develops educational website surrounding drug dependency arising from prescribed medications

Erin Mills, a TY student from St. Mary’s Arklow Secondary School, was awarded for her remarkable project, which investigates the effects of drug addictions and dependencies stemming from medications provided by the healthcare system, during the Scifest@Teen-Turn event held in IBM, Dublin.

Through extensive research and analysis alongside her studies, the final result culminated in a website that educates audiences on drug dependencies. The idea for the project, entitled “Breaking the cycle: Evaluating the investment in non-addictive alternatives to current medications”, came from seeking a way to help those struggling with opioid addictions and furthermore attempting to find a solution to drug addiction issues.

When asked what Erin is most proud about from working on the project, she says “My final website. I coded it from scratch and I think it came out really good”. Teen-Turn, an Irish non-profit organisation that provides teen girls the opportunity to gain hands-on STEM experience and the support to acquire qualifications and jobs, provided Erin with company mentors to assist her with research, statistical analysis, and computer programming. Joanne English, Erin’s teacher says “Erin’s idea developed over the 12 weeks through working with the Teen-Turn/Project Squad mentors. Erin worked at a steady pace and always kept on track with her intended goals for the week. The project squad mentors gave Erin valuable feedback on all aspects of her project.”

Erin won 1st place in the Senior Social Science Category Winners and was awarded an iPhone 16, with thanks to contributions from BNY Mellon towards Teen-Turn participants undertaking enterprise and innovation. She also qualified for BT Young Scientist and had the opportunity to present her project to President Michael D. Higgins at the BTYSTE exhibition in the RDS. Through Teen-Turn’s free after school programmes and activities such as Project Squad, secondary school students are informed on education and career options, often leading them to discover new skills and interests. As more girls explore and gain an interest in STEM, this will lead to more women earning STEM qualifications, thus leveling the playing field.

More information on their activities and the supports they provide to girls is available at www.teen-turn.com.

Teen-Turn launch 2024 summer work experience programme

Teen-Turn,  an EU wide digital impact organisation of the year, connects girls from underrepresented communities with women who are STEM role models at Ireland’s leading companies for summer work placements called “Teenturnships” in order to tackle the deficit of young women in STEM.

This year, Teen-Turn’s program commenced with 81 girls being introduced to their mentors. These mentors are accomplished women who are STEM professionals, including engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity and AI specialists, and senior managers from prominent companies such as Dell, BNY Mellon, Hostelworld, BD, Aptiv, Bearing Point, and Trane Technologies Thermoking.

The participating girls, from DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), rural, and underserved schools across Ireland, will engage in a two-week immersive experience in August. During this period, they will work on STEM projects under the guidance of their women-in-STEM mentors, gaining firsthand experience.

Teen-Turn believes that more girls, from areas where third level education is uncommon, exploring and gaining an interest in STEM will lead to more women earning STEM qualifications, therefore meeting a demand for skills that is outpacing supply.

Throughout the program, participants will learn from their mentors and engage in various activities each workday. Additionally, they will document and share their experiences through blogging, providing insights into their journey and the impact of the program.