Soroptimist International Esperance at CSW65
Soroptimist International Esperance was thrilled to have been selected to represent its Federation, SIGBI, in the Soroptimist International’s presentation at CSW65. DigiGirlz Virtual Meeting was the first of its kind in the Americas. It was developed in partnership with Microsoft to bring an understanding of careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to rural girls. Reporting is Irmin McKenzie, secretary of SI Esperance.
#GirlsInSTEM 3 ~ DigiGirlz Virtual Meeting 2020
The Esperance #SoroptimistsConnect with its community during the Covid-19 pandemic and hosted DigiGirlzDayTT, a virtual event, in partnership with Microsoft Trinidad. The target group was secondary school girls from rural communities who oftentimes do not pursue tertiary level education, particularly in STEM. They were able to log on from their own homes. The objective was to encourage them into technology careers, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
“You can’t be what you can’t see” Sheridan Ash, Technology Innovation Lead PwC UK.Globally, there is gender imbalance at the highest levels of industry in the STEM disciplines with women being under-represented. For the second year, SI Esperance partnered with Microsoft, to host DigiGirlzDayTT, rallying behind the call of Ms. Sheridan Ash. The objectives were to expose girls to female thought-leaders in the sector, to raise their awareness of opportunities available to them in the emerging digital economy and to inspire them to pursue careers in these fields. STEM education is critical to creating a qualified workforce of the future. SI Esperance advocates for girls being part of that future, bringing a feminine perspective to the table.
Topics covered were The Pervasiveness of Artificial Intelligence, Making a Career in Web Development, Personal Branding on LinkedIn & Video Gaming as part of the technology sector. This project raised awareness of career opportunities in the technology sector as evidenced by student feedback. The students were able to add comments and questions during the virtual experience and they were all interested and positive. The fact that the event was covered in two national newspapers meant that the message of the need for more women and girls in STEM went out to thousands on the islands. Additionally, the partnership of SI Esperance with a prestigious organisation such as Microsoft was well publicised as #SoroptimistsConnect within community.
“I’m really interested in the points of personal branding and finding a unique voice. Also I was drawn to the fact that the second speaker made the point to ‘ask people about what they think about you’ to help in creating a personal branding.”
“Excellent job. All presentations added another dimension and much food for thought and practical guidance was offered. Thanks for including us in the event.” School Principal.
“Thank you so much for having us Miss!!! I now know that the IT field, especially web development, is something I can see myself pursuing in the future.”
“It’s an eye-opening experience in different ways that I can do stuff that I like to do and also make money off of it.”
#GirlsInSTEM 2 ~ DigiGirlz 2019
On May 4th, 2019, fifteen excited girls drawn from Debe Secondary School, Parvati Girls Hindu College, ASJA Girls Barrackpore and Holy Faith Convent Couva journeyed to Microsoft Offices, Port of Spain to participate in DigiGirlz (TT) 2019.
Research shows only 1/4 persons in STEM are female, with women of colour in the minority. DigiGirlz was designed to encourage students to engage in discussions about the critical need for gender equality in today’s work force. We wanted them to understand the range of possibilities open to them and the determiniation needed to access them. Awareness & advocay are necessary to educate, change attitudes, to empower women and enable them to be full partners in all aspects of the work force.
This global event is designed to provide girls with a better understanding of what a career in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is all about.
And what a day it was!!
Minister of Community Development and the Arts, Dr. The Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly addresses the DigiGirlz and tells them “We need women to take their place at the table of leadership.”
The project involved creating a partnership with Microsoft, allowing Trinidad to be a part of their global event. Secondary schools were invited to send female students in STEM to attend. Transportation was facilitated by the Club. The speakers provided by Microsoft included prominent women in STEM based careers, including a female government minister. The students were given an exit survey. The photographer was booked, media releases prepared & disseminated, including a YouTube of the Minister’s speech.
Each speaker brought new and fresh perspectives to the emerging careers in the Technology Sector in the digital economy. Ms. Moses from the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator noted that the Climate Change Economy was a twenty-six (26) trillion-dollar industry with the capability to produce sixty-five million (65m) low carbon jobs, which was waiting to be explored. The girls were encouraged to be focused, to broaden their vision to think beyond the traditional, to make wise choices and to live boldly and fearlessly.
Representatives from Teleios Systems, a software development Company, showed interactively, how easy it was, with a few lines of code, to produce a coloured wallpaper background. The Speakers made the information relevant to the girls by referencing experiences with which they were familiar e.g. Thanos, a character in the Marvel Avengers Series and the 3D experience at Digicel IMAX.
At the end of the session, Microsoft offered to create a DigiGirlzTT Whatsapp Group to provide continued support and resources to the girls.
The students met women who encouraged them think beyond traditional careers & think into the future (i.e. coding, climate change, software creation and entertainment technology. This “real time/live” interaction resulted in students seeing and hearing women who dared to be different, enter into male dominated careers & became successful. Awareness & advocacy were achieved through three newspaper articles, Facebook postings and the YouTube of the Minister’s speech which were widely disseminated.
Participants left asking how soon the next Microsoft DigiGirlz event would be held and thanking the Esperance Soroptimists for facilitating the experience. One of the girls remarked,
“Now I know I have a right to be, and am smart enough to be in the STEM workplace.”
October 11th 2018 marked UN’s International Day of the Girl, a day aimed at highlighting and addressing the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights, including access to education. The theme, “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force” is aimed at focusing resources on creating opportunities for girls to attain skills that make them employable. Women in Aviation International designated October 13th as “Girls in Aviation Day” to promote and encourage girls to explore careers in the filed of aviation.
Members of The Proposed Soroptimist Club Esperance flying high with motivational speaker Wendy Yawching.
(L to R) Tara Pollonais, Rabbia Khan, Jayanti Lutchmedial, Patricia Campbell, Wendy Yawching, Denyse Ewe, President Cheryl Boodoosingh, Arnella Lalloo, Danielle Thomas.
The Proposed Soroptimist Club Esperance merged the celebration of these two important days and hosted a “Girls in Aviation” event, with the kind assistance of the University of Trinidad and Tobago Aviation Campus, Retired Captain Wendy Yawching and Bristow Caribbean Limited. Captain Yawching gave a moving and awe-inspiring motivational talk about her life and the path she forged in becoming the first female Captain at Caribbean Airlines.
Historically, women have been significantly under-represented in the STEM sector; typically making up only 10-20% of the global workforce. This impacts women in a very practical sense, by depriving them of rewarding and potentially lucrative careers. We sought to change perceptions, attitudes and cultural stereotypes towards women in aviation and promote visibility of women in leadership positions in the aviation sector in Trinidad.
Twenty girls from rural areas in Trinidad attended the event and were treated to fun-filled day at the Camden Campus of UTT and Bristow’s operations at Piarco. The girls also had the opportunity to speak with female students who are currently pursuing the BSc programme in Aircraft Maintenance and Management and met with UTT President Professor Sarim Al-Zubaidi, who himself is a recreational pilot, with published research in the filed of Aviation.
The students spent the afternoon at Bristow Caribbean’s Trinidad operations, where they learned about the commercial side of the aviation industry. Bristow is the largest industrial aviation service provider in Trinidad and its helicopter services are utilised by all major players in Trinidad’s oil and gas industry.
Pilots, engineers and managerial personnel from Bristow spent the afternoon giving the girls a tour, answering questions and providing the young ladies with a wealth of information regarding careers in the aviation field.
The project involved:-
1) Contacting UTT, Bristow and Captain Wendy Yawching,
2) Inviting students from girls’ secondary schools,
3) Coordinating the programme of events for the day,
4) Arranging transportation to the various venues, UTT’s Camden (Aviation) Campus and Bristow (Piarco,)
5) Providing lunch and refreshments,
6) Acquiring a photographer and videographer,
7) Developing and distributing an “exit survey” for the students
8) Writing articles for the media, Facebook and website.
Our goal was to make girls aware of the careers available in aviation and inspire them to consider employment in these areas. This project sought to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals of (Goal 4) QUALITY EDUCATION and (Goal 5) GENDER EQUALITY. This fulfilled the SIGBI aims of Educate, Enable and Empower.
Comments from the girls included:-
“WOW….this is amazing!’
“I’ve changed my mind…I don’t want to be a doctor anymore…I want to be a pilot.”
“Nobody believes me when I tell them I want to be a pilot, but after meeting Captain Yaw Ching I know it’s not just a dream.”
Behind the Scenes with the Soroptimists
We EDUCATE, EMPOWER & ENABLE girls to find their dream, & have fun doing it!