Committed as an enabling event for today’s youth, the Youth Congress on Information Technology (Y4iT) returns for its 14th year on September 27, 28, and 29 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.
The three-day congress, which has been at the forefront of information technology-gathering events in the country, is once again expected to gather more than 20,000 delegates – from IT college students and professionals to enthusiasts – nationwide.
“Y4IT provides a venue for IT students from all over the country, not just to learn from local and international IT thought leaders, but more importantly from each other. It is also not just about learning but also about having fun with new found friends and getting connected,” said Comm. Monchito Ibrahim, Deputy Executive Director of the Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office.
The long-running event aspires be a constant source of inspiration to many as it helps bridge industry authorities and the youth. “Each year, we are overwhelmed by the number of people coming together who all want to learn. Each year, they motivate us to continue our goal to inform, involve, and encourage the youth to be active in creating and developing solutions (through technology) to urban challenges,” saidY4iT Marketing Head Cha Ramos.
Recognizing the Filipino youth’s significant role in the IT industry, Ramos expands on how the congress aims to continuously empower them: “At Y4iT, we take the extra step to make industry leaders and experts accessible to them. What are the latest technologies? What are the most pressing industry concerns? What are the most relevant topics? Who are the best people to talk about these, and what could the delegates learn from them? What we want is to provide an avenue for the two parties to connect – for the leaders to educate and inspire the future of IT, for them to work together for national progress.”
With the growing number of participants through the years, having started with only 5,000 delegates on its first year, Y4iT provides lectures and discussion that are proven to be beneficial to its participants. “You can really feel the energy. Everyone’s hungry to learn. It’s really bringing in everyone and having that platform to be able to share some of the latest technologies,” said Intel Philippines Country Manager Calum Chisholm.
In September, Y4iT participants can expect to benefit from various local and international speakers like Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Distinguished Speaker Henry Duh, Lead Service Designer and Director at On-Off Group Phil Smithson, Community Evangelist at Piktochart Jacqueline Jensen, and GSE Strategy and Development Senior Manager at Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Joyce Chen. A panel discussion will follow the morning and afternoon sessions to give delegates the chance to ask questions and gather various insights on certain topics from the congress speakers.
The Youth Congress on Information Technology is organized by the UP System IT Foundation (UPSITF). First held in the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 2003, it has grown to be the largest IT event in the country.
More information about the event could be found at y4it.org. For interested participants, registration is ongoing at reg2016.y4it.org.
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