Visiting Geekulcha and mLabSA

Took some MDS-IS data-mining students and Data Science for Social Good students to visit Innovation Hub. Specifically they visited the Geekulcha collective who were busy hosting their GKVacWork for learners from the Tshwane area (specifically the northern townships). Geekulcha was represented well by Tiyani, Vincent and Sinah. Generally through a number of interactions I have found that Geekulcha works on

• Creating spaces for young people to work with technology,
• A mentoring space for those interested in technology,
• Puts on Hackathons,
• Has a passionate staff,
• and really has an admirable larger mission.

Secondly the group did a visit to mLab South Africa. This was my first visit there and it was really eye opening for me and the students. Seeing the entrepreneurs creating their apps and the resources available was great. Thanks to Rulani and company for hosting us for the afternoon. The students got a chance to also play with Google Glass,

Overall a great outing was had and it's great to see some of the technology initiatives in Gauteng. I will be keeping an eye out for others as well as contacting them to see if we can visit.