By Jenna Boles
How a network of Technovation volunteers guided a team of girls from finding a problem to solve to winning the social impact prize at World Summit
In 2024, Technovation volunteers smashed every previous year’s record for hours dedicated to supporting girls to become confident coders, AI innovators, and changemakers. Over 7,000 volunteers including Mentors, Coaches and Judges came together around the world to support 31,000 registered participants navigate the curriculum and create apps right in their own communities. To showcase the power of their impact, we’re zooming in on the breakout story of Club de Chicas Programadoras in Argentina.
While this is a story of many different volunteers creating a robust network of support, it all began with an 18 year old named Luján Netri. Club de Chicas Programadoras initially reached out to Technovation staff for guidance and support but soon, Luján took the reins as Club Ambassador in recruiting girls from multiple areas in Argentina. She created a sense of community and excitement among girls and volunteers about participating in Technovation for the first time.
Knowing she and the girls needed additional guidance, she recruited industry Mentors like the spectacular Frederico Javier Acien, a Data Engineer at Globant. Full of encouragement and ideas, he stepped in to help teams with the challenge of identifying a local problem they wanted to help solve using tech and AI tools.
One such team, comprised of Chiara C. (14), Sofía L. (15) and Greta B. (15), decided to create an app that would combat the wildfires plaguing their own community in Cordoba, Argentina. With the help of Frederico, they discovered that over 40,000 hectares of land had been affected by fires in 2023 alone.
That’s how team FlameFighters was born. They got to work researching, coding and testing what features would help ordinary citizens identify wildfire risks and report them quickly. Their passion for this issue led them to create an app that addresses 3 UN Sustainable Development Goals of Life on Land (15), Climate Action (13), and Good Health and Well Being (3), FlameHearts, leverages AI weather data to assess local risks, shows hotspots nearby, and allows users to alert authorities (who were so impressed with the app, it’s now officially being used by Cordoba firefighters!).
When they encountered obstacles with their app, they reached out for coaching; and were matched with longtime Technovation champion and volunteer, Charles Thompson, a New Zealand based Senior Program Architect for Salesforce. Charles has been a Judge for 4 years prior to this season, and joined the coaching program last season to support teams with 1:1 advice on coding challenges.
At the Technovation Global Celebration in July, the team found out they were headed to Silicon Valley as one of 15 global finalist teams. Accompanied byLuján and Frederico, these incredible teens traveled for nearly 24 hours to pitch their app to a panel of tech experts at the 15th Annual World Summit hosted by NVIDIA. For their hard work and community-oriented solution, the FlameFighters won the Social Impact Prize and recognition for Club de Chicas Programadoras of Argentina.
 Team FlameFighters (in red jackets); Tara Chklovski, Frederico Javier Acien, and Luján Netri at World Summit Pitch Night 2024 |
 With firefighters after demoing the app to a local firehouse. The app is now in use by Cordoba firefighters |
 Celebrating a wonderful season and taking home the Social Impact Award at World Summit Pitch Night 2024 |
We are indebted to driven Ambassadors like Lujàn, who is continuing to pursue her degree in computer engineering at Universidad Nacional de la Matanza while empowering girls in her own community. FlameFighters were incredibly lucky to have been guided along their journey by an engaged Mentor like Frederico. Having access to coaching support like that of Charles eased nerves and provided invaluable troubleshooting guidance.
These volunteer stories are what make the Technovation network so unique. Each individual plays a key role in the growing global support system to ensure that every girl has access to tech and AI education. With this committed guidance and the necessary education, they can step into their power as the next generation of leaders and innovators.
In addition to the impact Technovation volunteers make on their mentees, 96% of volunteer Mentors reported an increase in their sense of purpose and fulfillment after volunteering with Technovation. Consider becoming part of this inspiring group and sign up to volunteer for our 2025 season! And to Club de Chicas Programadoras, Frederico, and Charles – we’ll see you next season, keep up the amazing work.
Jenna Boles is the Content Strategist at Technovation where she uses social media and digital storytelling to connect with the network of incredible Technovation alumnae, volunteers and partners.