Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area
International FIRST Committee Association
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Youth Engagement
The International FIRST Committee Association extended an invitation to Faten Hammouda, 2015 fellow of Tunisia, and her team of high school students to participate in the inaugural FIRST Global robotic “olympics.” The event will bring students from over 100 countries together in Washington, D.C., from July 16-18 and aims to cultivate an affinity for STEM in youth all over the world. With the intent to bring countries together through science, each team will develop their own robot to address one of the fourteen science and engineering challenges the organization has identified, which they will then present during the competition.
Report Date...: 1/16/2017
Hands-on STEM
Fellow(s): Sabine Kai, Petra Saab, Layal Zakhour
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Fellows from the 2014 program, Sabine El Kahi, Petra Saab and Layal Zakhour, initiated the second phase of their project, Hands-on STEM, which aims to establish STEM clubs where students can explore different aspects of STEM in an interactive way, in addition to participating in field trips to tech companies and universities.In total, 32 team leaders will be trained to go back and launch a club in their school. That club will have 20 members who will meet weekly to learn, build, explore and create projects.
Report Date...: 1/9/2017
Give Them Hope
Fellow(s): Estelle Ndedi Nguedassong, Nadia Habsatou, Gisele Beatrice Sonfack, Arielle Kitio, Aurel Tayou
Country: Cameroon
Cohort: 2016
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
On December 28, 2016, Team Cameroon, one of the 2016 TechWomen seed grant winners, traveled to Maroua in Cameroon’s Far North region to begin work on their action plan, Give Them Hope. The initiative will provide resources, trainings and support to teenagers, whose lives have been disrupted due to Boko Haram. Currently, 90% of schools in that area are closed due to fear of a terrorist attack, according to the team. By December 2017, TechWomen fellows Estelle Ndedi Nguedassong, Nadia Habsatou, Gisele Beatrice Sonfack, Arielle Kitio and Aurel Tayou plan to support a quarter of those students who are out of school. Their action plan will help reintegrate the teenagers back into the academic and professional worlds. During their trip, the fellows conducted field surveys and created awareness surrounding the initiative in the local communities.
Report Date...: 1/9/2017
STEM Rocks Workshop
Fellow(s): Busayo Durojaiye, Abiola Ilupeju, Azizat Gbadegesin, Oluremi Hamid
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2014-2016
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Busayo Durojaiye, 2014 fellow; Abiola Ilupeju, 2015 fellow; Azizat Gbadegesin, 2016 fellow; and Oluremi Hamid, 2016 fellow – developed and facilitated a two-day STEM workshop in Lagos on November 29-30. The workshop, STEM Rocks, focused on increasing secondary school girls’ interest in the STEM fields. A total of 25 girls attended the event, which took place at the Barack Obama American Corner.The fellows led career talks on ICT, electrical engineering and architecture.
Report Date...: 12/5/2016
Mentor(s): Terri Khonsari
Company: Families without Borders
Mentor Type: Impact
Policy Area(s): Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Terri Khonsari, 2016 Impact Advisor to Morocco, led a four-day training for youth she mentors through her organization Families Without Borders from November 10-13. Terri founded Families Without Borders in 2011, which educates children and empowers families, building sustainable models for development worldwide. Terri focused her teaching on leadership skills, action plans and sexual education during the training. On the final day, attendees were divided into six teams, and each pitched a community project to the group. Terri plans to award a 500,000 SLL (approximately $89 USD) grant to each group to implement their projects by February 2017.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/14/2016
Africa Code Week
Fellow(s): Rogeema Kenny
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
During Africa Code Week, 2015 fellow Rogeema Kenny of South Africa helped train 1,273 children and young adults in basic coding skills in Cape Town from October 15-23. An initiative supported by SAP to drive sustainable growth, Africa Code Week aims to expose children and young adults to coding and encourage them to pursue the field across the entire continent.
Read More »Report Date...: 11/7/2016
library for Jomba Primary School
Fellow(s): Emmanuella Nzahabonimana
Country: Rwanda
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Emmanuella and Barb Mackraz, 2014 Cultural Mentor, recently launched the Jomba Library Project in the mountains outside of Kigali. They plan to develop a library for Jomba Primary School, a greatly under-resourced school with 1,150 students and zero books. They aim to gather over 800 books and materials, such as puzzles, games, visual aids, a globe and book stands. They plan for 40% of the books to be nonfiction and focus particularly on the region’s environment, with the goal of developing an appreciation for the area’s ecosystem
Read More »Report Date...: 10/31/2016
Girls Discover STEM
Fellow(s): 2015 fellow Mercy Sosanya and 2016 Emerging Leader Chioma Ezedi
Country: Nigeria
Cohort: 2015, 2016
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
Two Nigerian women, 2015 fellow Mercy Sosanya and 2016 Emerging Leader Chioma Ezedi, organized a two-day program, Girls Discover STEM, on August 26 and 27 at the American Corner in the Bauchi State Library. The program targeted girls from grades 7-11 who traditionally have not been encouraged to pursue STEM fields. Sixteen girls from five schools attended the event, acquiring basic STEM knowledge and skills through hands-on activities. “It was quite an exciting time as the girls were introduced to STEM. They were taught about the reasons why more girls and women are needed in STEM, and they were inspired by stories of great women who had excelled in STEM,” Mercy said
Report Date...: 8/29/2016
e-learning startup
Fellow(s): Ghana Bteich
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Entrepreneurship, Youth Engagement
Ghana Bteich, 2015 fellow of Lebanon, recently co-founded a startup that is developing an e-learning platform to provide after-school support for students in need. She has more than 10 years of experience in telecommunications and is applying for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program under the field of educational planning to acquire more knowledge related to developing curriculum and program designs.
Report Date...: 8/15/2016
Mombasa Girls in STEM Solve IT
Fellow(s): Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Umikaltuma Mohamed, Sylvia Mukasa, Annie Njenga and Adah Waseka
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Youth Engagement
The Mombasa Girls in STEM Solve IT initiative culminated with their STEM fair, which took place on August 13 at Aga Khan High School in Kenya. The initiative, launched by members of TechWomen Kenya, including 2014 fellows Serah Kahiu, Sandra Kambo, Umikaltuma Mohamed, Sylvia Mukasa, Annie Njenga and Adah Waseka proved successful having gained support from the local government and local businesses. The Gulf African Bank donated two desktops and awarded three scholarships to one of the participating schools. In addition, a teacher involved in the training announced that the students who participated in the project had improved their grades since its inception. TechWomen Kenya hopes to make the initiative a recurring, annual event in not only Mombasa but surrounding counties as well.
Report Date...: 8/22/2016
