A team from Escola Secundária Públia Hortênsia de Castro, in Vila Viçosa, is among the finalists of the 12th edition of Apps for Good, an educational technology program promoted by CDI Portugal. The national final takes place on September 18 at 10:00 at Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon. The school from Alentejo reaches the final in the Secondary Education category with the project Smart Eco-Horta (Saberes com Raízes), which consists of an application designed to support the management of an intergenerational garden, integrating an automated greenhouse using the Internet of Things, composting and solar energy. The project seeks to bring students and elderly people together, promoting the sharing of knowledge and more sustainable agricultural practices, aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 13 — Climate Action.
The presence of the Vila Viçosa team in the final was assured after their performance at the South-Central Regional Meeting of Apps for Good, which featured 46 projects developed by more than a hundred students from 26 schools in 16 municipalities. The national final brings together 30 projects developed by students from primary, secondary and, for the first time, also higher education, from various regions of the country, related to different United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Apps for Good has been running for 12 years and has already involved more than 35,000 students, 1,800 teachers and more than 800 schools. According to João Baracho, Executive Director of CDI Portugal, the program aims to place young people in the role of creators and not just consumers of technology, allowing them to start from problems they recognize in their communities and develop concrete responses, working on skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving.
The final will include an institutional moment at 5:30 PM with the participation of João Baracho, James Garnett (Chairman of the Board of Apps for Good UK) and Erin Chemery (Senior Project Officer at UNESCO), linked to the Teacher Task Force. The session will be closed by Alexandre Homem-Cristo, Secretary of State for Secondary and Higher Education.
