Build Your First App with AI
Build Your First App with AI 🚀 Hands-on AI + Hardware Workshop · Ages 12–18 📍 October 4, 2026 · Silkroad Innovation Hub, Menlo Park
Hosted by NextGen Initiative, Silicon Valley in partnership with Silkroad Innovation Hub
Sponsored by Vostok & Shawarma
Come with an idea. Leave with your first prototype—and a path to keep building.
Create a study planner, a game, a tool for your school club, or explore a smart-device prototype. You’ll try vibe coding: describing your idea in plain language, using AI to help write the code, then testing and improving what you build.
Learn directly from Dara Tumenbayeva, —a former Amazon software engineer, former software engineer and data scientist at SEEK Asia, and founder building Aora. With experience across 30+ hackathons and hackathon judging, Dara will help you turn a big idea into an achievable project and a confident demo. Meet Dara.
You’ll learn to:
Build with AI using accessible tools and available free tiers.
Test your creation, spot mistakes, and use AI responsibly.
Demo your project and start documenting it for a portfolio you can develop for university applications, competitions, and future opportunities.
Best projects gets to raise mind controlled drone and more cool prizes !
AI brings enormous opportunities and serious responsibilities. Learning to build with it—and question its output—is a skill you can start developing now.
This workshop is the first step toward a planned ongoing NextGen program, where students can keep improving their projects and learning together.
No coding experience needed. Bring a laptop, charger, and curiosity. Tool access depends on age and platform eligibility; younger participants will need an appropriate adult-led setup.
Learn. Build. Create. Share.
🏛 About the Host
About NextGen Initiative
NextGen Initiative, Silicon Valley is a youth-led organization creating programs, events, and opportunities that help the next generation build entrepreneurial, leadership, technology, and future-ready skills.
For ages 12–18.
nextgeninitiative.sv@gmail.com
Event Sponsors
Silkroad Innovation Hub is dedicated to putting Central Eurasia on the global startup map. The organization provides a soft-landing platform, residency space, and targeted acceleration programs to help international founders scale their tech ventures into the US business ecosystem and connect directly with top-tier American investors and tech giants.
Vostok Gyro & Shawarma Halal is a local food truck serving fresh, flavorful Central Asian and Mediterranean-inspired food in the Bay Area.
From our signature chicken and beef shawarma to plov, lagman, dumplings, honey cake and other homemade favorites, everything is prepared with care and bold, authentic flavor.
We currently have locations in Santa Clara (36 Washington St, Santa Clara) and San Francisco (98 Franklin St, San Francisco).