Fundi Girls champions talk series.
So today, 11/12/2021, l had the opportunity to speak at a Fundi Girls event about how we can encourage more young girls to get involved in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics).
Well, let's start from what Fundi Girls are, this is a community program under Fundi Bots that works towards encouraging more participation of girls in STEM creating a safe space where these girls can interact, share, network, and get mentorship. Throughout their almost 5 years of existence, Fundi Girls has impacted over 6000 girls all through Uganda!
Anyways, back to the champions talk. the keynote speaker was Captain Farida Ashaba, a private pilot, TEDx speaker, philanthropist and CEO of bambinolife256.
How can we young girls be encouraged to take pursue careers in STEM harnessing their full potential even with the constraints the pandemic has imposed on us?
STEM has always been an undeniably hard field to navigate but with the right mentorship, and guidance it can be seen through. the following are some of the points that were shared on how to smoothly ( okay a little) navigate through STEM.
- Make the right company of friends surround yourself with friends that want to see you grow in STEM, the company you hang around will most likely keep you or drive you off your desired path. true connections should come from within and not from what you expect to get from the people.
- Be true to what you want to achieve and work hard towards achieving it no matter how hard it gets. do it scared but do it! once something scares you, it's indication enough that it will help you grow.
- leverage communities that help people thrive in STEM for example Fundi Girls, Fundi Bots.
- Be in the know of what activities that support STEM are taking place and show up for them. how you get to know of such activities is by getting yourself in STEM circles and communities.
- Continuously work towards achieving your goals, it is a journey you will not achieve overnight but rather step by step.
- Be an ambassador of STEM communities you know, preach them to everyone that shows interest in pursuing the same path and you never know how beneficial it could be to them.
- Don't dwell on the pandemic, it's almost 3 years and new variants are coming up day by day so when will you wait for the storm to calm down before you can get back to working towards your goals?
- Find a balance between feeding your career and your personal/social life. do everything in the time it needs to be done, party, code, and pray!
- Invest your time wisely, know your worth and know when to walk away from an environment, a situation that's no longer fostering your growth.
- Preach equality but do the work. just because you're a woman will not open for you every door, men are working tirelessly for these positions and so should you.
- Do not compare yourself with others, your journey is personally tailored for you. you are the innovator in your journey and at the same time the problem solver of all the obstacles you encounter on that journey.
- Be authentic to yourself, take on what you can manage, find a balance and this will keep your mental headspace clear.
- Do not succumb to pressure and societal expectations, set your own expectations and work towards meeting those expectations at your own pace. stop looking at your age mates who are happily married and you don't even have a boyfriend, the ones with steady jobs and yet you are still volunteering, do what you love and do it with passion. there's no amount of time wasted in doing what you love.
- And all in all, be good to others for that same goodness will come back to you in forms you don't even expect.
with all this said, pose these questions to yourself;
What have you done to empower young girls back in your hometown?
Are you ready to take on the challenge to be a mentor to that little girl that has a passion for STEM?
For more details about the event, visit the Fundi Girls social platforms.
