Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area

Fellow of Cameroon Recognized as Impact Leader

Fellow(s): Sophie Ngassa

Country: Cameroon

Cohort: 2014

Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Sophie Ngassa, 2014 fellow of Cameroon, was awarded the Impact Leader badge by World Pulse for her campaign to empower girls in STEM. Sophie has been teaching in a technical college for 13 years and was awarded a Grace Hopper Scholarship in 2016. She also created the Center for Youth Education and Economic Development, where she runs mentorship and digital literacy workshops for girls. Additionally, Sophie received a 2017 African Dream Achievers Award for her efforts promoting STEM and ICT training among young women.

World Pulse is a social network connecting more than 50,000 people from 190 countries focusing on social impact and digital technology for women.

Report Date...: 2/5/2018

STEM Training

Fellow(s): Saltanat Alieva

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Cohort: 2016

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Saltanat Alieva, 2016 fellow of Kyrgyzstan, recently joined with the American Corners and Centers in her country to launch the project “Girls in Science.” She led a workshop focused on teaching 25 high school girls how to use 3D modeling software from Autodesk, her TechWomen host company.

Earlier this month, Saltanat also received two prestigious designations from the Kyrgyz Economic University: the award for Best Senior Lecturer and the medal for Contributions to the Development of the University.

Additionally, she was one of six winners chosen from participants in a social entrepreneurship training program at the University of Central Asia School of Professional and Continuing Education. As a result, Saltanat received a $3,000 grant to implement an innovative community development project in Kyrgyzstan.

Report Date...: 1/15/2018

Nigerian Fellow's organization selected by High Commission

Fellow(s): Carolyn Seaman

Country: Nigeria

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Carolyn Seaman, 2017 fellow of Nigeria, has been incredibly busy since returning from the United States. Her organization, Girls Voices, has successfully implemented their Tech Girls Advocacy Program (TGAP), which taught 50 public school girls advanced digital literacy skills. The girls focused on three issues that they ultimately developed into their own advocacy website: Ending child marriage, ending gender-based violence and promoting girls’ education.

Additionally, the High Commission of Canada in Nigeria selected Girls Voices for their SheCanLead campaign. As part of the project, the High Commissioner partnered with one of the young leaders of Girls Voices for a week of learning initiatives.

Report Date...: 1/1/2018

TEDx Talk

Fellow(s): Diana Tsoy

Country: Kazakhstan

Cohort: 2015

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Diana Tsoy, 2015 fellow of Kazakhstan, presented at Tedx Almaty on the potential of Kazakh schoolgirls and her own journey as a mentor in STEM. Diana’s TechWomen experience inspired her to become a regional ambassador (RA) of Technovation Kazakhstan. With the help of RA Gulshnar Salpykova, 2016 fellow of Kazakhstan, not only has the Kazakh Technovation program grown from just 11 teams to more than 50 teams from across the country, but in 2017, a Kazakh team also took home the Technovation grand prize.

Diana is actively involved in research in renewable energy and is working towards an advanced degree in technical sciences at ITMO University in St. Petersburg. She was also recently invited to speak at the first “Be A Pro” conference, organized by the Astana International Finance Center, where she spoke about the importance of mentorship.

Report Date...: 1/1/2018

Ideathon

Fellow(s): Elena Selezneva, Saida Yusupova, Shodiyabegim Bakhtiyorzoda, Sevara Siradjeva, Ozoda Ismailova, Natalya Yusupova

Country: Uzbekistan

Cohort: 2015, 2016, 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement

Six fellows from three cohorts came together this month to organize Uzbekistan’s first Ideathon. Elena Selezneva and Saida Yusupova, both 2016 fellows and Technovation Uzbekistan Ambassadors, led 100 girls aged 10 to 18 with the help of 40 mentors. Several other fellows of Uzbekistan, Shodiyabegim Bakhtiyorzoda (2015), Sevara Siradjeva (2016), Ozoda Ismailova (2016) and Natalya Yusupova (2017), also helped with the Ideathon by delivering presentations and offering their guidance to participants.

The Ideathon was a two-day, intensive, workshop-like experience for prospective Technovation students to address challenges of defining a social problem in their community. Participants work in teams with mentors and use design, critical thinking and innovative learning practices to collaborate and create potential solutions.

Report Date...: 12/18/2017 & 12/25/17

Mentor(s): Daniela Ushuzima and Irina Silva

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

Two TechWomen mentors, Daniela Ushizima and Irina Silva, have recently been honored with Berkeley Lab Director’s Awards. Daniela received the Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in outreach from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab for her “selfless and tireless efforts as an exemplary ambassador of science and goodwill, engaging new and emerging scientists around the globe,” including the TechWomen fellows. Irina received the Joint BioEnergy Institute Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in Diversity for her work connecting Berkeley Lab with local youths “to help train a future scientific workforce that truly represents the diversity of the Bay Area.

The Director’s Awards program recognizes significant achievements of Lab employees for accomplishments, leadership, collaboration, multi-disciplinary science, cross-divisional projects and commitment to excellence.

Report Date...: 12/4/2017

United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan Career Day

Fellow(s): Mehak Jamal

Country: Pakistan

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

Mehak Jamal, 2017 fellow of Pakistan, was featured as a panelist at the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan’s (USEFP) Career Day. Mehak spoke to students and young professionals, encouraging them to pursue careers in tech given the sector’s potential for exponential growth in Pakistan.

Mehak spoke about her experience with TechWomen as well as her work with the Punjab Information Technology Board, which not only provides tech services and infrastructure to both the private and public sector, but also increases the digital literacy of Pakistani citizens.

Report Date...: 11/27/2017

HapaKenya Interview

Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo

Country: Kenya

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement

Dr. Chao Mbogo, 2017 fellow of Kenya, was highlighted in an in-depth interview on the Kenyan news platform HapaKenya. Chao details her personal and professional journey to become a computer scientist, researcher, teacher, mentor, and recently, the Head of the Computer Science Department at Kenya Methodist University. Chao also provides updates on KamiLimu, a mentorship program she launched in 2016 for university level computer science students, and Project Digniti, the seed grant-winning action plan project she developed with the other 2017 fellows of Kenya. Chao has also received grant awards from Anita B.org and Google for her work with KamiLimu.

Report Date...: 11/20/2017

TechCamp Ramallah

Fellow(s): Ruba Awayes, Rasha Hammo, Razan Qraini

Country: Palestinian Territories

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

From November 18-19, Ruba Awayes, Rasha Hammo and Razan Qraini, 2017 fellows of the Palestinian Territories, participated in TechCamp Ramallah: Business Success through Academic Excellence, which was hosted by the U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem. Ruba and Razan were trainers at the camp, with Ruba leading sessions on tools for self-learning and Razan leading sessions on mobile app design. TechCamp Ramallah was designed to strengthen linkages between students and Palestinian businesses by focusing on the power of technology to solve real-world problems and drive economic growth. The program also emphasized a skills-based curriculum that addressed private sector needs.

TechCamps are public diplomacy programs managed by the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) at the U.S. Department of State.

Report Date...: 11/20/2017

KasiMaths in HuffPost South Africa

Fellow(s): Danai Nhando

Country: South Africa

Cohort: 2017

Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement

2017 fellow Danai Nhando has written a blog post for HuffPost South Africa about the South African team’s seed grant win and their plans to carry out their action plan, KasiMaths, a low-cost, scalable, after-school math enrichment hub in low-income communities. In their Pitch Day presentation, the team identified the KasiMaths program as a way to take a “holistic approach to teaching maths that demystifies all aspects of maths and shows how it relates to the everyday world.” They are already hard at work on making their idea a reality, with a plan to set up the first KasiMaths Hub in Alexandria Township in Johannesburg and take on their first cohort of 30 students in early 2018.

Report Date...: 11/13/2017

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