ATLANTA: The GSMA September 5 announced the launch of the Youth Mobile Festival (YoMo), an exciting, hands-on educational experience for young people between the ages of six to 18. Building on its success in Barcelona, YoMo Los Angeles will inspire future generations to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering, art/design, and math (STEAM) disciplines, offering young people and educators a wide range of educational exhibits, live shows, interactive workshops and more. YoMo will be held at Mobile World Congress Americas taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) September 12-14, 2018.

YoMo is open to all students and education professionals in Los Angeles and Southern California and is free to attend. The program is designed to showcase the innovation and creativity delivered by organizations across STEAM industries, as well as professional institutions, R&D laboratories, universities and other specialist education institutions, and importantly, motivate young people to consider the wealth of career opportunities available in STEAM-related fields.

‘YoMo showcases the passion, energy and excitement around science and technology and will highlight the amazing innovation at the intersection of mobile and education,’ said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. ‘With nearly 500 hours of inspiring content, YoMo will expose students to a vast array of science and technology innovation, ranging from virtual reality and augmented reality to animations and creations, from coding and chemistry experiments to managing vital natural resources, and much, much more.’

It is anticipated that more than 6,000 students and educators from across the region will come to the Los Angeles Convention Centre to participate in this engaging and inspiring three-day showcase of science and technology. Exhibiting organizations include 9 Dots, the Columbia Memorial Space Centre, Girls Who Code, the Port of Los Angeles, the Space and Missile Systems Centre (a subordinate unit of Air Force Space Command), and UploadVR, among others.

Official partners for YoMo include arc-experience, the California Department of Education, Girl Up, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Propel LA, Samsung Electronics America, Star Education and Think Together.

The GSMA will host the official YoMo Media Day on Thursday, September 13. Media registered to attend YoMo will also have the opportunity to attend Mobile World Congress Americas; similarly, the YoMo Media Day is open to registered media and analysts already accredited for Mobile World Congress Americas.

The three-day Mobile World Congress Americas will convene leaders, innovators and influencers from across the broad mobile ecosystem, as well as the content, media and entertainment sectors, to explore the technologies, products and services that are driving the future of communications, from 5G to artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things to virtual reality, and beyond.—AP