“We know children have the right to play, but what we really need is to learn about all the events and activities organized for children that are happening around us,” says Basel Hijaz of iCalendar. Ro’ah Adam, Basel Hijaz and Omar Albatran recently took part in MENACatalyst’s Palestine Codes: Coding for Children’s Rights program to learn the basics of coding to build a website that addresses children’s rights in Palestine.
Kids iCalendar, solves the age old question of where to go and what to do after school. The dedicated platform provides children and parents alike with an invaluable resource to learn about all the latest events and activities organized in their local communities. “Kids get tired of staying at home, but they don’t know about all the fun stuff happening around them, so we build iCalendar as an interactive site that lists all activities for kids,” says Basel.
Taken from its name, iCalendar is a calendar designed to exclusively feature events and activities organized for children anywhere in Palestine. What sets the platform apart, is that organizers can easily create an account, and then directly add and link their event on the calendar including a description, date, location, and when necessary cost. As a result, users including children and parents are able to keep up with events and never have to miss out again. “When we talk about events, we mean everything like activities, festivals, clubs, competitions, and even educational workshops, or after hour classes.”
iCalendar’s Shahid (Watch) section, provides an insiders glimpse into past and recurring events and activities to give children and parents a better idea of what the respective feature is all about. Additional features allow users to give their feedback on events and the platform itself, in order for developers to continue to optimize features. However, the iCalendar team are just getting started with plans to further develop the platform and create additional mobile apps to keep users up to date, anywhere and anytime. “Generations are passing by so quickly, you have to give kids as many good memories and opportunities as you can, to create a happy generation that will have the confidence and passion to make the world a better place for all,” says Basel.
The technical prowess of the young coders is impressive to say the least, developing a fully operational website including front end and back end component that utilize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In only three short weeks Ro’ah, Basel and Omar managed to build a website from scratch, addressing the needs of both parents and children alike. Although only just beginning their journey, Ro’ah, Basel, and Omar share how they have become passionate about coding and are eager to change the world with code.
