Brightstar Lottery launches 6th Annual Coding & Robotics Rock across 4 territories

Yesterday, Brightstar Lottery launched the sixth annual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp, a free two-week virtual technology education programme running simultaneously across Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, and Trinidad and Tobago from July 13-24, 2026. 

Delivered in partnership with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, this year’s edition marks the programme’s most ambitious curriculum to date — introducing a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) track for returning students.

The annual Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp is presented to students ages 11 to 18 from Brightstar’s After School Advantage (ASA) Centres across the region — all at no cost to participants. Under this year’s theme, Build the Future, Break the Mold: Engineering the Caribbean of Tomorrow, campers will apply coding, robotics, and AI skills to reimagine the infrastructure challenges facing their islands: schools, healthcare systems, transit networks, and energy grids.

“Six years ago, we asked a simple question: what happens when Caribbean youth are given the tools to build, not just consume,” said Debbie Green, Brightstar Jamaica General Manager. “Year after year, they have answered that question beyond anything we imagined. Year Six raises the bar again — and our students will rise to meet it.”

The 2026 camp operates two parallel learning tracks. Level I is designed for new participants and introduces foundational coding and web development, guiding students through HTML, CSS, and hands-on website creation on topics of their own choosing. Level II, for returning students with a foundation in place, advances into machine learning, AI, and robotics, culminating in students building and training their own AI models using Google Teachable Machine and constructing physical robots using VEX robotics platforms.

Eight MGI-trained tutors will deliver instruction in breakout groups with a 5:1 student-to-tutor ratio, ensuring individual attention across every territory. Supervisors at each After School Advantage Centre undergo dedicated training before camp opens, completing all practical exercises themselves so they can provide real, informed support to students on the ground.

“Artificial intelligence is already reshaping every industry these students will grow up to lead,” said Shelly Ann Hee Chung, Brightstar Antilles Director. “We made a deliberate decision: Caribbean young people should understand this technology from the inside — as builders, not bystanders. That is exactly what our sixth annual camp delivers.”

The introduction of AI to this year’s curriculum represents a significant milestone for the programme. Level II students will explore the classification and real-world applications of robotics, study machine learning principles, and work directly with Google Teachable Machine — a platform that allows students to build and train their own AI models without prior data science experience. The practical, visual nature of the tool ensures that AI literacy is accessible to secondary school students regardless of their technical background.

The AI curriculum was developed with input from Mrs Nalini Ramsawak-Jodha, Lecturer at the UWI School of Education, St. Augustine Campus, who guided curriculum design to ensure age-appropriateness and pedagogical effectiveness for this age group.

“By equipping Caribbean students with the ability to design content, build AI models, and think computationally, we are helping to cultivate the next generation of innovators,” said Luke Buchanan, MGI Executive Director. “These young people will be equipped for future use of software engineering, data analysis, and geospatial thinking to solve real-world problems in their own communities.”