The event was held on the 11th of February 2022 at the Osu Presby Preparatory Girls School with 60 girls in attendance, between the ages of 13 to 16.
At 11:15am, the facilitator Anita, opened the floor with some humor and invited one of the girls to say the opening prayer after which the headmistress of the school Madam Vera, was introduced and given the podium to welcome Developers in Vogue (DiV), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and everyone present. She specially introduced a representative of the Ghana Education Service (GES), who gave a brief speech encouraging the girls to pay attention, write down lessons and to fully embrace science.
The facilitator thanked the headmistress and GES representative for their speeches and proceeded to give a brief overview about Developers in Vogue; What we do, the impact we have made and how to join the community. Ferdinand also gave an overview of NSBE, after which the guest speaker Dede Kweyakie Blebo was introduced to begin her session.
Dede, thrilled and excited to meet the girls, began by asking if any of them would love to go into science; no hand was raised. When she asked why, most said they thought it was really difficult and a few said because they feel it is for boys.
It was at this point that the speaker began a story about a certain lady called Ama, who struggled in school to pass some exams. Ama was told that she wouldn’t do well in science and was mocked for failing but after much hard work and not listening to the naysayers and persisting through the difficult times, Ama later became successful and is currently a Technical Writer and I.T Auditor working at a top organization and is also helping women get started in Tech. This Ama turned out to be herself.
Key lessons from the session are outlined below:
• You can do anything you put your mind to: There is nothing that is too hard. As long as a person is determined and sets his or her mind to do it, anything is achievable. Don’t be limited by your gender, background, circumstances or anything at all because history and present-day shows so many people especially women who have defied the odds and have reached the pinnacle of their respective careers. So, if they can do it anyone who sets his or her mind to it can do it.
• Do it well: Whatever you set your mind to do, do it with all your might. Give it your all and make the necessary sacrifices. When other students spend all their time watching and discussing telenovelas after school, take time out to read and practice. Don’t wait for exams to study, make it a daily habit.
• Don’t be afraid to fail: So many successful people didn’t only fail but failed multiple times and still picked themselves up, persisted and finally succeeded. Failure is not an excuse not to achieve a goal or your dream. It’s okay to fail but never okay to remain defeated.
• Keep Learning: Acquiring knowledge is an endless process. Self-development is inevitable in success. It is imperative to grow, build yourself and broaden your horizon and that can only be achieved through learning.
Dede spoke about the SDGS and how it is impossible to achieve the sustainable development goals without science and the importance of women being involved and playing their parts in achieving these goals. She also elaborated on gender equality; how parents and schools further fuel inequality and bias in society. Dede encouraged the girls not to be limited by the roles imposed on them in school and at home in achieving their goals. She rounded up with uplifting words and assured the girls that there is absolutely nothing to fear in science; if others can do it, they can likewise definitely do it.
The girls were taken through a fun, exciting and practical session where students were taught about concepts in electricity using SNAPTRICITY kits; with the snap circuits snaptricity STEM kit, students use hands-on activities to explore how electricity and magnetism is used in daily items. Using the kit, learners can demonstrate the workings of magnetic fields, electricity, parallel circuits and switches.
At exactly 2:23pm, the curtain was drawn and pictures were taken. In all, it was an impactful and fun filled day. Every girl who participated in the event went home believing she could do whatever she puts her mind to and was convinced that tech is meant for all.
To share your ideas and suggestions, please send an email to code@developersinvogue.org