Impact Stories from Youth Engagement Policy Area
Fellow leads engagement in international teen hackathon
Fellow(s): Lindiwe Matlali
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of South Africa Lindiwe Matlali recently led a group of teens participating in an Education for Justice (E4J)-sponsored hackathon in Silicon Valley. In partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Lindiwe also helped coordinate elements of the hackathon, relying on connections from her TechWomen network, including at Symantec, which hosted the three-day event. The delegation from South Africa, which included student participants from Africa Teen Geeks, the organization founded by Lindiwe, was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training of South Africa, Buti Manamela.
The event asked students to develop educational games to teach users about criminal justice and crime prevention. Twenty-five students were selected among winners of previous regional hackathons in South Africa, Indonesia, Bolivia and the U.S. Lindiwe’s team won the competition by creating Silent Screm, an app aimed at combatting human trafficking in South Africa.
Report Date: 7/9/2018
Fellow wins AEIF award for initiative to train women on entrepreneurship and software development
Fellow(s): Shatha Jayyousi
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2013
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
2013 fellow of Jordan Shatha Jayyousi was among the 2018 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) award winners for an initiative that will train women and girls, including about 50 migrants, in Amman and Athens. The cross-border project, a collaboration with alumni of the International Visitors Leadership Program and the Fulbright Student Program, will utilize a mobile learning curriculum to provide business entrepreneurship and software development training to help participants launch their own businesses. The program represents an effort to address high unemployment rates in both Jordan and Greece, as well as the gender gap in STEM and digital skills. Shatha credits her participation in TechWomen for connecting her to the vast and supportive Department of State alumni network.
AEIF awards support alumni initiatives that promote shared values and innovative solutions to global challenges. Out of more than 1,300 applications submitted this year, Shatha’s project is one of just 70 to be selected for a grant, and is funded under the AEIF theme of Empowering Women and Girls.
Report Date: 7/9/2018
Fellows travel with TechGirls to U.S. and lead panel discussion
Fellow(s): Reham Nasser, Nisreen Deeb, Shatha Jayyousi, Amel Ghouila and Hania Gati
Country: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia
Cohort: 2011, 2013, 2014
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Fellows Reham Nasser (2011) of Egypt, Nisreen Deeb (2013) of Lebanon, Shatha Jayyousi (2013) of Jordan, Amel Ghouila (2014) of Tunisia and Hania Gati (2011) of Algeria were selected as the inaugural group of TechWomen fellows to serve as flight chaperones for the 2018 TechGirls cohort, joining the girls in traveling from their home countries to Washington, DC. TechGirls is an ECA initiative that brings 15- to 17-year-old girls from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to the United States to empower and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM. TechGirls hail from the same seven countries in MENA as TechWomen participants.
After escorting TechGirls participants to the U.S., the fellows joined a panel discussion – also livestreamed on Facebook – to kick off TechGirls’s U.S. programming. Panelists discussed their work and how they became interested in STEM and also shared advice for the girls. Reham encouraged them to never be afraid to ask questions. She spoke about how boldness enriched her TechWomen experience tremendously, enabling her to learn as much as she could. Fellows also shared about support groups that helped them throughout their career and as women in STEM. Said Hania, “Both of my [TechWomen] mentors gave me so much knowledge. I thought to myself, when I come back to Algeria I have to be a mentor. The more help you receive, the more you want to give.”
Report Date: 7/9/2018
Fellow featured on Wonder Women Entrepreneurs List
Fellow(s): Afnan Ali
Country: Jordan
Cohort: 2011
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Afnan Ali, 2011 fellow of Jordan, was highlighted on StartUp Scene’s “8 Wonder Women Entrepreneurs Crossing Milestones in Jordan” list. The article discusses Afnan’s startup, Eureka, which provides scientific programming to Jordanian youth, teaching them about engineering, robotics, electronics and renewable energy, as well as entrepreneurship and creating business plans. Eureka students are encouraged to compete in local and international competitions. Since the startup’s founding in 2014, more than 500 students have participated in the program.
In 2016, Afnan pitched Eureka at the Rise Up Summit in Cairo, Egypt. Out of 23 pitches, she was one of six entrepreneurs chosen to participate in a 10-day acceleration program hosted by RiseUp and TechWadi in Silicon Valley.
Report Date: 6/25/2018
Fellows launch initiative developed during 2017 TechWomen program
Fellow(s): Lara Chikhani, Maya Itani and Rasha Sukkarieh
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
After developing their action plan concept during the 2017 program, three fellows of Lebanon, Lara Chikhani, Maya Itani and Rasha Sukkarieh, have launched Solve24, a project-based summer program that will train students aged 13-17 to solve real-life problems through STEM. Though the team was not awarded a seed grant during their time in the U.S., Lara, Maya and Rasha were passionate about their idea and continued their mentorship virtually upon returning home, supported by Impact Coaches Katy Dickinson, Fatema Kothari and Mercedes Soria, who serve on Solve24’s advisory board. Said Lara, “Thank you to Techwomen for pushing us to start this and connecting us with the amazing mentors.”
Solve24 will offer activities to improve participants’ skills in design thinking, leadership, communication, innovation and teamwork as they design a project focused on solving an issue in their community. At the end of the program, students will pitch their projects to design professionals, mentors and family members. The top projects will be awarded a prize.
Lara, Maya and Rasha hope that Solve24 will help Lebanese youth cultivate critical thinking skills and creativity in order to create positive impact and be competitive in the global job market. The first boot camp program will begin this summer.
Report Date: 6/25/2018
Fellow selected as U.S. embassy alumna of the month
Fellow(s): Faten Khalfallah
Country: Tunisia
Cohort: 2015
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Faten Khalfallah, 2015 fellow of Tunisia, was selected as alumna of the month by the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia. During the TechWomen program, Faten was mentored at Autodesk, where she received training on many of the company’s software applications, as well as support from her mentors to launch her own initiative in Tunisia. The embassy highlighted Faten’s efforts as founder of First Skills Club, a non-profit organization that provides STEM programming for youth aged 10 to 16. The program is currently training 150 students in computer programming, robotics and entrepreneurship.
Last year, several students in the First Skills Club participated in the Robotics Olympics in Washington, D.C. and won gold and silver medals in the International Excellence category. Students from the club also attended the 2018 Robotics World Championship in Kentucky, where they won the Judge’s Award and were among the top ten teams of girls aged 12 to 14. Faten is now preparing a team that will soon travel to Mexico to participate in the 2018 Robotic Olympic Games. She hopes that one day Tunisia will become a global technology hub.
Read More »Report Date: 6/11/2018
Fellow highlights STEM mentorship program in podcast episode
Fellow(s): Chao Mbogo
Country: Kenya
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
2017 fellow of Kenya Dr. Chao Mbogo was interviewed in an episode of Pursuit Podcast about her organization, KamiLimu, which engages computer science students at Kenyan universities in a six-month mentorship program. Chao explains that she launched KamiLimu to address the gap between what students are learning in the classroom and the skills they need to be competitive in the global STEM job market. Since 2016, KamiLimu has supported 96 students, several of whom have won international awards and scholarships after participating in the mentorship program.
Chao discussed the four major pillars that participants learn in the program: innovation and ICT skills, professional development, community involvement and scholarship application and awareness. This model ensures that while students are learning ICT skills to supplement what might be lacking in their curricula, they also receive training to most effectively apply to jobs and scholarships and become active members of the Kenya tech community. Chao said, “Mentorship for me is not inviting someone to talk and then they go away… Mentorship is more long term, and it has to happen every day, every week, every month.”
Report Date: 6/11/2018
Team Pakistan makes progress on action plan project
Fellow(s): Zainab Saleem, Bisma Hayat, Saima Shabbir, Shamsa Naz, Sadia Bashir and Saba Rasheed Malik
Country: Pakistan
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Team Pakistan, one of five teams to win a $3,000 seed grant during the 2017 program for their action plan project, has taken exciting strides to reach their goal. The team members – Zainab Saleem, Bisma Hayat, Saima Shabbir, Shamsa Naz, Sadia Bashir and Saba Rasheed Malik – launched STEM for Change, an organization dedicated to increasing women’s representation in STEM fields.
Only 18% of women in Pakistan are currently engaged or employed in STEM fields. Team Pakistan attributes this gender disparity to a lack of exposure to STEM subjects, particularly among young girls in public school. The team aims to reduce this disparity by leading STEM workshops for girls in middle school and creating a mentorship program and support network for women working in STEM.
So far, the group has finalized details for their networking and launch event, which will showcase plans for the introductory STEM for Change workshop. They have invited potential investors, including NGOs, government organizations, school representatives and parents to the event. Team Pakistan is also currently in the process of designing the STEM for Change curriculum and selecting target schools for future workshops. Their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr pages will launch in June.
Report Date: 5/28/2018
Fellow’s organization signs franchise agreement
Fellow(s): Rana El Chemaitelly
Country: Lebanon
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Professional Growth, Youth Engagement
Rana El Chemaitelly, 2017 fellow of Lebanon, signed a franchise agreement in Lagos, Nigeria for her organization, The Little Engineer, which offers hands-on engineering courses for children and young adults. The agreement is with Jadesola Adedji, who has an organization called STEM METS that provides STEM programming to Nigerian students. Through this partnership, the Nigeria branch of the Little Engineer will begin operations this summer by offering courses, school visits and summer camps.
Rana conceived of her organization in 2009 based on the belief that exposing children to STEM will better prepare them for future challenges and empower them with new ways of thinking. In order to be more widely accessible, the Little Engineer works with summer camps and schools to provide programs in and around Beirut.
Report Date: 5/21/2018
Fellow launches STEM education campaign
Fellow(s): Lindiwe Matlali
Country: South Africa
Cohort: 2017
Policy Area(s): Education Diplomacy/Mentoring, Empowering Women and Girls, Youth Engagement
Africa Teen Geeks, an organization led by 2017 fellow of South Africa Lindiwe Matlali, launched the Girl Geek campaign last week in partnership with the Ikusasa LeAfrika Foundation (ILAF). The Girl Geek campaign seeks to inspire the next generation of tech innovators by engaging children in a STEM education program that exposes them to robotics, websites, video games and more. Lindiwe hopes to replicate this initiative all over Africa to reach as many students as possible.
Dr. Zweli Mkhize, South Africa’s Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, was selected as the campaign’s patron. During his opening remarks, he said, “I am pleased that this initiative encourages and prepares, especially our young women, to be capable and ready to engage with this exciting new world we find ourselves in.” U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Jessye Lapenn also attended the event and offered remarks expressing support for the initiative.
Report Date: 5/21/2018
