Time in Busan, South Korea for the Global IT Challenge
Tom Bamforth-White, Employer Engagement Executive.
I originally volunteered to help at the UK IT Challenge for youths with disabilities which was held by Shaw Trust at Adastral Park in Ipswich, and as a result of my time there I was chosen to be the Team Leader for Team UK at the Global IT Challenge which was held in Busan, South Korea.
What is the UK IT Challenge?
Disabled young people from across the country compete in a three day IT competition held by Shaw Trust, in collaboration with BT.
Teams of disabled young people take part in a variety of IT challenges to test ability, creativity and skill using different computer programmes. Challenges range from designing a poster in PowerPoint, retrieving specific information from the internet and showing off ability in excel.
Four young people – Josh, Jess, Sol and Rudey – who participated in Ipswich were chosen to go to the Global IT Challenge as representatives for Team UK. The event involved countries from Asia, Europe and Africa. They competed in a range of activities designed to show off their skills in IT, but on top of that it was a fantastic opportunity to meet different people from around the world and learning about new cultures.
In the e-contents challenge, which involved creating a video around the subject of peace, we managed to finish an amazing 3rd place! It was met with elation from the UK chaperones, who have been amazing through the whole event. The whole group worked hard to create an excellent video and we could not be prouder of them as a team.
But we weren’t done there, in both the eLifeMap and eTool challenges there is one winner in all four disability categories (hearing impaired, visually impaired, physically impaired or intellectually) all our participants have intellectual disabilities – and we won in both! Rudey managed to win the eLifeMap event – which even she was surprised at, her chin almost hit the ground when she saw it but her beaming smile showed how pleased she was. In the eTool challenge, Josh was confident of success from the moment he finished on Tuesday morning, and his belief was confirmed when he was awarded with first prize for the challenge.
Sol, a participant, says:
“I have really enjoyed representing the UK at the Global IT Challenge, I liked the opportunity to speak to challengers from different countries as I found it interesting. I liked doing the challenges, my favourite was the e-contents, and I found the PowerPoint one the hardest – but I tried my best and didn’t give up. I was shocked when they announced the UK had won an award for the e-contents challenge, it was nerve wracking to go up on stage, but I am so happy that we won. I enjoyed the chance to explore Busan, as it is completely different to where I live.”
Jo, Sol’s mum says:
“Having a child with learning difficulties and autism often means that I am having to talk about what he can’t do, what he struggles with and what he needs support with. So, when we found out he had been selected to represent the UK at the Global IT Challenge in South Korea we were bursting with pride. He had been recognised for what he can do and given the opportunity to shine and the UK team certainly did shine! From coping with the incredibly long journey, adjusting to the time difference, talking to new people and joining in the challenges with all the other countries was inspiring to watch. One of the highlights of the week was when Team UK were announced for their Bronze medal, seeing the stunned faces of the team and watching them walk up to the stage to accept their awards was a super proud moment. It was an honour and a pleasure to be able to be a part of such an inspiring and inclusive week.”
Rudy, participant says:
“The Global IT Challenge was an amazing experience, that I adore deeply to the bottom of my heart. I never thought I’d go from Ipswich, sitting at a computer with my mum beside me, to being in Korea’s second biggest city competing against numerous amounts of bright minds!
“The challenge was a really fun experience – I met a lot of lovely people who were so easy to talk too and gained a strong bond with members from Team UK. Tom and Amy adopted roles of leadership in our group, and they both did really well keeping us on track! We ended up getting one bronze team medal and two gold individual medals, and I am still so amazed at how well we did together. Thank you so much for this fantastic opportunity.”
Amy, chaperone to Jess, says:
“The idea of going to South Korea was incredible for Jess but the experience was so much better. Seeing her travel to the other side of the world away from everything familiar and having to step out of her comfort zones was a privilege as she bravely dealt with all the obstacles along the way. It was great to see her and the rest of the team experience new foods, meeting people from all around the world and competing together to such a high standard, that they were able to achieve bronze in one of the team events. Cheering the team on from the stalls was a great experience and one I will never forget. The IT Challenge has been life changing for the delegates and it was an honour to be a part of the experience.”
Josh, participant says:
“I have really enjoyed my week at the Global IT challenge – my favourite event was the eTool challenge which I won my gold medal in. I am also proud of the bronze medal in the team event as we worked hard together. One of my favourite sites was the bridge that runs through the centre of Busan, and I liked seeing the buildings all light up during the night. Korean food is interesting, some things are nice and others not so (especially the spicy stuff).”
Summary
What a journey, undoubtedly one of the most special weeks for many of us and one that will not be forgotten in a hurry.
I would like to say special thanks to the Chaperones who have been here this week. They have been funny, supportive and outright brilliant the entire time and we would not be here without there amazing support. Rachel and Jo have brought bundles of energy (and found English Tea in a country that seemed to have none!) to help when things seemed to be too much for people. Amy has helped in all those moments where I wasn’t sure. She clearly is a truly special teacher and really is a shining light within the Shaw Trust Group.
To see the 4 young people grow and learn throughout the week was fantastic, with all their hard work and determination rewarded tenfold with their team and individual awards. Jess, Rudey, Josh and Sol have shown this week how people with disabilities – no matter what they might be – are capable of anything they put their minds too.
To use Sol’s words:
‘different, not broken’