Riga TechGirls Introduces AI Tools to SOS Children's Village Youth
The association "Riga TechGirls" conducted a creative workshop where SOS Children's Village youth learned about artificial intelligence tools, design thinking, and digital product development, creating functional prototypes.
On July 16, 2026, the association "Riga TechGirls" organized a creative workshop for youth from SOS Children's Villages, introducing them to artificial intelligence (AI) tools, design thinking, and the basics of digital product development.
During the workshop, participants were trained on how to move from an idea to a functional digital product prototype, addressing various important issues. The training was based on design thinking methods, allowing the youth to go through the full innovation development cycle. They learned the fundamentals of startup ecosystems, analyzed societal needs in teams, searched for potential solutions, and visualized their ideas through paper sketches.
After sketching, the participants worked with machine learning programming platforms and the latest AI tools that automatically generate HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code. This enabled the youth, even without in-depth programming knowledge, to develop functional website or application prototypes on their own devices.
At the end of the workshop, teams presented their work and held a joint discussion on the innovation development process, insights gained, and future opportunities in the technology field.
Ilze Paleja, director of the Latvian SOS Children's Village Association, emphasized that such training helps youth develop digital skills, explore AI possibilities, and strengthen financial literacy, which will be important in their independent lives.
The initiative was financially supported by the charity fund "Giving for Latvia." Experts from the Knowledge Center of the Bank of Latvia also participated in the training.
"Riga TechGirls" is an information technology community that offers digital skills training, mentoring programs, and networking events. Meanwhile, the Latvian SOS Children's Village Association provides long-term family-like care for children left without parental care, maintains family support centers and an out-of-family care support center "Airi vecākiem," and implements social prevention programs. The association notes that in two SOS Children's Village foster families in Īslīce and Valmiera, integrated SOS families, and SOS youth homes in Jelgava and Riga, 130 children and youth receive support, and more than 2,000 children receive assistance annually through its support programs.
The workshop gave the youth a hands-on opportunity to try modern technologies and develop skills that will be useful in their future lives and careers.
