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The Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) SWE Global Affiliate gathered 400 young women for a Mentoring Session, Leadership Training Session, and the PNGUoT SWE Project 2021, an amazing in-person, hands-on engineering program.
During this multiday event, different aspects of the PNGUoT SWE Global Affiliate’s PNGUoT SWE Project 2021 were held April 9 through July 29, 2021. There were 515 attendees, including 95 SWE members. Four hundred of the attendees were young women under the age of 18, and 80 attendees were female college students. Twenty-five volunteers planned and organized the event, and 15 SWE members supported the activities the day of the event.
The Mentoring Session was conducted at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology Civil Engineering Department Learning Centre and included a series of eight sessions. There was even a visit from the Coca-Cola Amatil team who provided Coca-Cola giveaways. The objective of this component of the program was to develop diversity mindfulness and gain confidence through “Inclusion Solutions.”
The Leadership Training Session offered free online webinars, which included Delegation in a Work from Home and Office World, Leadership Trends, and Shaping a Culture of Inclusion.
SWE members reached out to seven primary and six secondary schools and visited the school principals. SWENext Awareness programs were conducted at three of the schools in July 2021 ― St. Paul’s Primary School in the National Capital District of Papua New Guinea, Huonville Primary School, and the Salvation Army Lae Primary School, the latter two located in Lae, Papua New Guinea.
Visits were scheduled at a later time for the remaining schools. The SWE organizers reported that many teenagers showed interest and registered for SWENext.
Below are some best practice takeaways from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology SWE Global Affiliate event:
- The key to success for conducting a program of this type is to be fervent about it and a passionate champion for women.
- An indicator of the impact of the event was the joy it brought to the primary school girls and the encouragement the program provided to make STEAM part of their future.
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