What if children learned about artificial intelligence without touching a screen? Alliance Française de Gaborone is betting that the future of technology starts with imagination, movement and questions, not tablets
GAZETTE REPORTER
Children usually meet technology through swipes, taps and endless scrolling.
But inside a room in Gaborone, the future arrives differently: through movement, storytelling, games and imagination.
Alliance Française de Gaborone has launched COLORI, an educational programme developed in France that introduces children aged five to eleven to coding logic, artificial intelligence, online safety and digital citizenship without screens.
Yes, no screens.
At a time when conversations around AI often sound futuristic and intimidating, COLORI flips the script. The programme is less interested in producing six-year-old programmers and more invested in raising curious thinkers who understand what technology is doing behind the scenes.
CODE BEFORE CODING
Built around Coding, Logic and Montessori-inspired learning, COLORI invites children to move, play and ask questions before they ever type a command.
The idea is simple but quietly radical: understand technology before consuming it.
“Many children can use a smartphone before they can explain how the internet works,” says Anne-Charlotte Monneret, Director of Alliance Française de Gaborone.
“Through COLORI, we want to help them move from passive consumers of technology to curious, informed and responsible digital citizens who understand the world around them.”
In a world obsessed with screen time, that feels unexpectedly rebellious.
THE FUTURE SPEAKS MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE
COLORI does more than decode algorithms.
Through games and activities, children are also introduced to French naturally throughout the workshops, opening doors to wider conversations around culture, business, education and international opportunity.
The programme also places emphasis on equal access to digital skills and encourages girls to see themselves inside science and technology spaces early.
With workshops limited to ten children at a time, the experience stays intimate, playful and intentional.