Our best bits from 2024

It's been another amazing year at Apps for Good! We asked the team to reflect back on 2024 and share their highlight of the year, here's what they had to say...

Jess Dillon, Head of Communications, Marketing and Impact

This year I was so proud to see two of our team recognised for their outstanding contributions in the digital economy. Our CEO, Natalie Moore, featured as #21 in the Computer Weekly list of the ‘Most Influential Women in Tech’ and our Fundraising and Partnerships Manager, Georgie Packer, was awarded a ‘Rising Star Award’ by WeAreTechWomen. Not only are these fantastic personal achievements, but more importantly (in my opinion!) both of these awesome women are excellent role models for the girls we inspire through Apps for Good.

Georgie Packer, Senior Fundraising and Partnerships Manager

Showcase really is one of my favourite times of year, and this year I felt particularly blown away by the huge number of Industry Volunteers who provided their valuable time and expertise to review student app ideas. We had a staggering 4921 reviews from 232 remarkable volunteers, many of whom gave specific personalised feedback to help these teams develop not only their ideas, but their confidence too! Our corporate partners really mobilised their communities of colleagues to come together and make a difference for the young people we work with.

Natalie Moore, Chief Executive Officer

A standout moment for me this year was holding our Impact Celebration Event. Our first face-to-face event in five years to celebrate the contribution of our volunteers and partners, and launch our latest Impact Report. Trustee and alumni Mohima Ahmed was our compere for the night, and did a fantastic job of setting the scene, sharing her story, and facilitating an inspiring panel discussion with members of our teacher and volunteer communities. We then heard from students Iesha and Shannon who talked us through their app idea EcoMingle and shared their experience of taking part in our Innovate for Climate Change course, including how they are both now planning to study BTEC IT.

Ross Dempster-Johnson, Head of Programmes

This year has been filled with so many amazing achievements! I have been so pleased to see the increase in uptake of our established courses: Innovate for Climate Change and App for Social Action. Both courses continue to be delivered and re-delivered by schools across the UK, and this year we have had more students than ever benefiting from these courses. Alongside this, we have launched our AI for Good course. This course has really excited both our existing and new educators, and we are looking forward to receiving feedback from teachers and students about this new course.

Kathy Sheppard-Barnes, Education Community Manager

At the end of 2023 we proudly launched our Apps for Good Fellows community. Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with this dynamic and ever-expanding community of educators from across the UK. Our Fellows bring invaluable perspectives on the evolving educational landscape, helping to ensure our courses remain relevant and impactful. Listening to educator and student voices through Fellowship contributions has been inspiring. From sharing expertise as panelists at our Girls in ICT Day event, to piloting our new AI for Good course. I’ve loved being a part of this supportive community, united in shaping young people’s futures through technology, and can’t wait to see what’s next for our Fellows!

Laura Andrews, Senior Marketing Manager

One standout moment for me this year was our appearance on Teachers Talk Radio, which had over 3,000 views and listens! Emma and Leonie from Denbigh High School, who deliver our Innovate for Climate Change course, shared the positive impact it has had on their students and teachers. I especially loved when Leonie, Head of Year 7, shared the story of a shy student whose confidence grew throughout the course. During an Industry Engagement session with Spotify, the student "...ended up sort of flipping the questions around on to the Industry Experts!"

If you missed it, you can catch up here.

Lucy Perkins, Head of Finance

There are so many wonderful things working for Apps for Good, but top of my list is being part of our team. I am so grateful to work in such a supportive, caring and dynamic charity. We know how important our culture is to our success. At our summer social we did a pottery throwing class, it was so much fun and we all managed to make something beautiful to take home. Spending time together as a team is so important, learning something new and sharing new experiences brings us so much closer. We celebrate each other's successes and face our challenges together. This was demonstrated in our recent team survey, with positive results across the board.

Laura Price, Senior Fundraising and Partnerships Manager

This year’s highlight for me was attending our Climate Change and Digital Innovation Summit (CCADIS) in Luton with the Chiltern Learning Trust back in April. It was inspiring to meet so many proud and enthusiastic young people eager to pitch their app ideas to Industry Volunteers. I was deeply impressed by their essential skills - teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity stood out in particular. The energy and vibrancy of the event were contagious, and it was fantastic to see some of our funding partners join us to experience the excitement firsthand.

Louise Jones, Senior Impact Manager

One of the best parts of my role is talking to young people and educators, gathering their feedback. This year, I’ve loved interviewing our alumni and hearing their Apps for Good memories. Their reflections on how their experiences influenced their education and career trajectories has been really inspiring. It makes me so proud of Apps for Good’s long-term impact and the important part our courses play in laying foundations young people can build from, such as sparking an early interest in programming and fostering a passion for social impact. We’re excited to share some of these alumni stories with our friends and supporters next year as we celebrate 15 years of Apps for Good!

Jodie Campbell, Senior Education Community Manager

I was unbelievably excited to join three of our 2024 Showcase schools at a Podcasting Experience day at the Spotify offices in London. We had students joining from across the UK, including one flying from the Highlands in Scotland! The Spotify team did an amazing job of providing an inside look at the world of podcasting, which ended with the students recording their own podcast to talk about their app ideas. Seeing them come out of their shells and show such passion for their ideas was inspiring. It’s an honour to be a part of special days like this with Apps for Good.

Lucille Harrison, Digital Marketing Manager

After spending weeks and weeks working on all of the digital elements for our 2024 Showcase, it was such a pleasure to see it all brought to life by joining a judging call during the pitching week. I was blown away by how enthusiastic and articulate all of the students were, and could see how proud they were of the apps they had created. It was a great experience for the students too, with some brilliant feedback from the Industry Volunteers involved.