Hello World partners with H&M to inspire & empower underrepresented youth into STEAM fields

During a full day of hacking on April 15th, Hello World and H&M will invite underrepresented groups in tech to get together and create excitement around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) fields. The event Kids Hack Day will offer activities like design for laser-cutting and building robots.

Hello World is a non-profit association that offers free courses and activities in digital creativity for children and young people. Using technology as a tool for creative expression and community has always been at the core of what we do at Hello World and with H&M becoming one of our main partners, we are now able to level up these ambitions, crush boundaries and break norms of who gets to work in tech.

Inspiring underrepresented youths into tech is nothing new for H&M. Last year, they launched their STEAM initiative in the UK and South Africa, specifically targeting young women and non-binary gender.

“I am very proud of H&M’s global STEAM program that aims to inspire and support young people from underrepresented groups to a future career within tech, data and science. With the partnership with Hello World and the exciting and educational activities they have planned for Kids Hack Day, we are bringing this initiative to Sweden", says Nopor Stuart, Head of Sustainability Tech at H&M.

The upcoming Kids Hack Day event will take place on 15th of April at Epicenter in Stockholm and will be the launch of this exciting collaboration and the first in more joint initiatives to come. The event will be held simultaneously in Nairobi and Travnik so the participants will be able to interact with each other in a show and tell.

"We are both happy and thrilled to start this journey with H&M. The partnership will enable us to open the doors to tech for hundreds of youths and launch our free-of-charge After School program in more socio-economic vulnerable places in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. Through our collaboration we will bring together education and tech and give youths the tools they need to shape their future", says Maria Arneng, Secretary-General at Hello World.

The event is also held in conjunction with Earth Day, on 22nd of April, as the event concept works great as an entry point to both creativity and sustainability. During the day participants will use cardboard and household waste and learn how to upcycle and give life to old materials.

“We’ve seen this work especially well with our robotics station where kids build and program their own robots using old cartons”, says Julia Söderberg, Event Coordinator at Hello World.

Through this partnership, H&M is strengthening Hello World’s reach to youths from underrepresented groups in tech by enabling the scaling of their free-of-charge After School program. With the aim of democratising access to education in tech, we see great opportunities in creating impact together.

Swedish Press-release available here