Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

by Admin | Feb 9, 2022 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

Time To shine ICT #TTOSICT 2021/2022 Project Proposed Curriculum for Mentorship

Kick-events have been central to the success of theTime to Shine ICT #TTOSICT project at the initial stage for the past five years to promote collaboration between parents and teachers to encourage student participation.

This one-day event presented the proposed curriculum: Scratch programming, IoT (IoT), Urban Planning, and the Open Science Framework for classroom experimentation, and during this session, the GoGirls team pointed out what they envisioned for this project, such as;

Computer-literate students
Teamwork among learners
Interactive learning
Critical Thinking & business modeling skills
Knowledge on how to come up with models for urban planning
Diversification of knowledge
Flexibility in the learning environment
Exposure to different STEM careers
Have the relevant knowledge of the real-world application of some science concepts such as IoT, #ClassroomOnPhone, and Scratching Programming.

Consequently, the GoGirls team and nine teachers from primary and secondary schools within Juba exchanged ideas and knowledge on possible Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities for the selected students from their respective schools.

Over the years, the #TTOSICT Project became a platform for teachers from various schools to discuss challenges they faced with students, learn from each other, and collaborate on relevant #STEM projects among themselves. Hence, in three different groups, the teachers highlighted the challenges they faced when teaching sciences in schools and what they envisioned?

The teachers categorically shared their challenges as:

A negative perception of the use of ICTs in our communities.
Lack of training of teachers on ICTs
Lack of computer Labs and ICT resources in most schools explains why even schools, up to today, type and print their exams at different computer centers.
Language barrier, in most cases Arabic – pattern.
The new textbook framework has outdated technology and programming languages.
The new textbooks are very shallow and lack substantial content.
Girls are not encouraged to take ICT as a career because some parents still look at ICT as a male profession.

What they envisioned for this project included;

Students should be able to use science apparatus to pass information.
Be able to apply scientific knowledge to respond to daily needs
Students, especially girls, should use ICT Knowledge to promote businesses and use this knowledge to advance their careers in Technology.
Students should be able to apply Mathematics in their daily lives.
To promote individualized learning to respond to the child’s ability and personality.
Collaborative learning.
Enable economic growth by broadening the reach of technology such as high-speed internet.
Teachers still take out exams for typing at different computer centers within Juba because they lack computers.
Internet for schools.
We as teachers know that computers are for boys – Girls need to be encouraged to take ICT as a career.
The relevant authorities should be hosting experts to tell the public about the importance of ICTs.
We still need more awareness on the different media platforms on the importance of ICTs.
The relevant partners should train teachers on the new curriculum to adapt accordingly.
It’s good to revise the syllabus of South Sudan for primary and secondary schools again. Most countries have developed because of integrating technology with other subjects such as economics, commerce, accounts, and agriculture, among others.

From this engagement, the GoGirls team will take critical actions to engage with the relevant policymakers, continue to innovate in this field, and collaborate with communities on projects that benefit these communities, teachers, and students at large.

This project is supported by UNDP South Sudan Peace and Community Cohesion (PACC) Project with funds from Sweden.

TTOSICT PROJECT 2021/2022

by Admin | Jan 13, 2022 | GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities

#TTOSICT 2021/2022

What’s New?

GoGirls ICT Initiative presents the Time To Shine ICT #TTOSICT Project 2021/2022 under the theme Beyond Conflict to bring together youth from primary and secondary schools and universities to exchange knowledge and ideas related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) innovation in their communities.

What is #TTOSICT project?

#TTOSICT Project is a mentorship program aimed at promoting the use of ICTs by youth, especially girls, in schools and communities as a tool for peacebuilding. The program is based on ‘EEE’; that is Engaging youth especially girls as agents of change and peacebuilding in their communities, Educating them in the use of technology for good thereby Empowering them to confidently express themselves and advocate for change through innovative relevant technology solutions, as well as empowering the communities where they reside.

The overall goal of this project is to promote peaceful co-existence and collaboration among South Sudanese for the greater good of fostering development; and promotion of ICT innovation as a result of the existence of favorable ICT policies and youth with relevant ICT skills.

What are the project objectives?

To promote the use of ICTs among youth as a tool for peacebuilding.
To promote communal collaboration among youth, teachers, and communities.
To influence policy on the use of ICTs in schools and universities. This objective seeks to encourage youth to advocate for the prioritization of ICTs in development and youth innovation in line with SDG 9, promotion of innovation, and industry.

This project is supported by UNDP South Sudan Peace and Community Cohesion (PACC) Project with funds from Sweden.

GoGirls ICT Initiative Partners With Akirachix To Engage More Girls in ICT

by Admin | Sep 22, 2021 | Blog, Career Guidance, Girls Coding, Job Search, Our PJects, Projects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship, Tech News, Women & ICT

GoGirls ICT Initiative Partners With Akirachix To Engage More Girls in ICT

For the past five years, we have been implementing the Time To shine Information Communication Technology (#TTOSICT) mentorship program that aimed at Engaging, Educating, and Empowering youth, especially girls in primary and secondary schools to spark their interest in doing science at the secondary level and increase their chances of doing courses in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics with the integration of Arts (STEAM). As a result of these efforts, the girls who were involved by then at the age of 11 years old in Primary Five have now joined secondary schools within Juba, and those in Secondary completed their South Sudan School Certificate in 2019. Most of these girls too were beneficiaries of our GoGirls Sponsorship Initiative to support them in school for one year as long as they continued to participate in this program.

To encourage and keep these girls engaged in this program throughout, we reached out to their schools, families, and communities through the Family Visit Program that has become an integral part of all our projects and programming.

One of the most common questions raised by the teachers, families, and communities of these girls is: “what is next for them after secondary school especially to parents who are economically challenged and girls who are vulnerable?.” To answer this question; GoGirls ICT Initiative has collaborated with Akirachix to put synergies together so as to support girls who have completed their South Sudan Secondary school certificates in 2019 to be part of their AkiraChix codeHive 2022 recruitment program.

AkiraChix was founded in 2010 by a group of women who were passionate about changing the landscape of the technology field and creating a community that supports, connects, and inspires women in the tech space. These young women challenged the status quo by encouraging and facilitating more women to take up careers in technology-related fields. Its vision has continued to be led by Linda Kamau and Marie Githinji, who have committed to champion the diversity and inclusion of women in the technical workforce, changing the economic capabilities of young women as well as shifting societal norms. AkiraChix has come a long way from its beginnings, where it trained young women from Nairobi in a bus fitted with computers to a fully-fledged residential campus to serve young women from all over Kenya and other African Countries. Read more about AkiraChix: https://akirachix.com/

codeHive is the AkiraChix signature program. It is a one-year fully subsidized residential hands-on technical training program. It provides education and economic opportunity to young women between the ages of 19 and 24 from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have completed high school education, and are unable to further their education due to financial constraints.

After expanding from Kenya to Rwanda and Uganda in 2021, AkiraChix will also expand to Tanzania and South Sudan in 2022. It is also seeking promising young women from refugee communities across these countries.

According to Women in Technology statistics, Women currently remain highly underrepresented in software engineering (14% of the total workforce) and computer science-related jobs (25% of the total workforce). Female software engineer hires have only increased 2% over the last 21 years.

Through this collaboration, GoGirls ICT Initiative is one of the approved Test Centers that will provide the applicants with dedicated computers and internet to apply for this program and also use their networks to help Akirachix reach more young women to build careers in technology in South Sudan to transform their lives and communities. We constantly commit to breaking societal barriers limiting girls from doing careers in ICT and continue contributing to bridging the gender digital divide gap. Such opportunities and exposure are what these girls need. The fact that South Sudan Joined the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) as its 49th member state presents vast opportunities in this sector that we want more women and girls in South Sudan to be part of the decision making and implementation of technology-related projects.

For more details on the application process visit www.akirachix.com/apply

Application Deadline: October 15th, 2021 11:59 PM EAT

Please visit our office:

88.4 City FM Compound, Suk Melisia, Munuki – Juba, South Sudan.

Reach us through:

Email: application@gogirlsict.org

Mobile: +211922407200

Facebook: GoGirls ICT Initiative

Twitter: @gogirlsictjuba

Instagram:@gogirlsictinitiative

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

by Admin | Jun 17, 2021 | GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities

Access to Skills and Knowledge related to Internet of Things (#ASKrIoT)

#ASKrIoT – a mentorship program that focuses on building the capacity of University students in Internet of Things (IoT) research and development of relevant applications that solve problems in their communities.

Through this program the team is building their own version of the #ASKotec called #ASKrIoT

#ASKotec: Access to Skills and Knowledge open tech emergency case

The #ASKotec is a kit that is designed to work as a mobile training set and is equipped with the items needed to teach others how to use Open Tech and Open Source Hardware in order to innovate, educate, and repair items, thereby providing access to vital skills and knowledge. The kit is especially valuable to communities where access to tools and materials is often scarce.

The Open Tech Emergency Case is housed in a rugged, dust-proof case and includes a range of high-quality tools and materials needed to teach hands-on skills in terms of repairs, development, and upcycling. The kit allows for

learning about electronics, especially the use of small-scale solar energy.
repairing, disassembling, and building mechanical and electronic devices.
the development of skills and sharing of knowledge.

Each #ASKotec contains over 50 items, including:

electronics, connection hardware, solar elements
soldering, cutting, measuring, and specialised mechanical tools
arduinos, sensors, LEDs, related modules
manuals and user-developed how-to guides
a compact Linux computer with open source software

The #ASKotec kit is part of the #ASKnet program. It was created through a series of hub-development workshops as a resource kit for community trainers who work in areas where there is neither reliable power nor internet connectivity, such as in many refugee camps, low-infrastructure regions, or rural areas.

For more information about the #ASKotec, go to: https://askotec.openculture.agency

Gender Narratives Through the Lens #GNTL

by Admin | May 14, 2021 | Career Guidance, Girls Coding, GoGirls Mentors, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities, Sponsorship

Co-Founder, Eva Yayi explaining concepts of "Design Thinking"

A participant raising a hand to ask a question during a session

A participant smiles before an audio recording scene

A mentor showing participants an audio recording

A mentor taking participants through a session

Participants being taken through "radio programming"

Gender Narratives Through the Lens #GNTL

#GNTL a pilot project, is a virtual mentorship hub in the areas of audio content production, film making and entrepreneurial skills.

The target beneficiaries are women and girls from secondary schools, graduates and school dropouts to use these skills to improve their livelihood through digital storytelling.

The overall goal of this project is to build the capacity of South Sudanese women and girls in the digital creative industry.

#ClassroomOnPhone

by Admin | May 14, 2021 | Family Intimacy, Our PJects, School Competition and Activities

Co-Founder Yine Yenki asking pupils' about their home learning during the pandemic

A P.5 pupil of JCC Model Pr. Sch shows off a memory card containing her science content

A P.5 pupil of JCC Model Pr. Sch shows off a memory card containing her math content

A P.5 pupil of St. Thomas Pr. Sch shows off a memory card containing her math content

Pupils look on - during a virtual learning session

A P.5 pupil shares her views about learning Mathematics virtually

An interactive session between pupils and Co-Founder, Yine Yenki

Pupils paying keen attention during a virtual learning session

#ClassroomOnPhone series (GoGirls learning podcast)

#ClassroomOnPhone is a pre-recorded learning program where learners are taught science subjects with the aim of enhancing the love and practice of science in primary and secondary school students.

When South Sudan went into a lock down in March 2020 due to the pandemic, we had a conservation with parents and teachers who were beneficiaries of our Time To Shine ICT #TTOSICT project on how they were and their children coping up with the closure of schools. And that’s when the GoGirls team embarked on a research on Virtual learning methods for Offline communities as part of its Access to Skills and Knowledge network #ASKnet Project.

During this time, we held workshops to introduce South Sudanese primary and secondary school Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers to virtual learning, including their definition, examples, content development for virtual learning, challenges of virtual learning among others. Teachers explored virtual learning platforms both online and offline and mockup projects to create content for virtual learning.

The team further interacted with 25 students who were beneficiaries of #TTOSICT project in their various communities to know the challenges faced by students during the pandemic so that to build a knowledge base to help us tailor our training activities to the current situation. The interaction with them revealed that girls didn’t have time to read due to several home chores, noisy environment during the day so they can’t concentrate, lack of electricity and for those whom their schools provided with reading materials found Science subjects to be the most boring and hard subjects to study alone.

These findings were shared with the teachers who were providing these students with handouts and holiday packages to study at home. The teachers too found out that most of the assignments these students answered were not done by them hence proving not effective. This led us to explore cheap affordable technologies by our communities such using Micro SD cards and feature (button) phones since they are very affordable and accessible by everyone.

Together with GoGirls teams, the teachers from four primary and secondary schools developed STEM learning material with an integration of Arts (STEAM) in the form of podcasts loaded on micro SDs for a selected group of learners.

The students were introduced to virtual learning platforms and how to access these platforms including access to this content in form of podcasts hence, #ClassroomOnPhone.

Here is the link to the podcasts

https://anchor.fm/classroomonphone/episodes/ClassroomOnPhone-Series-GoGirls-learning-Podcast-ergreh

GoGirls ICT Initiative