Teenage girls from North Africa and the Middle East will participate in the United States Department of State’s TechGirls exchange programme from Wednesday–August 3.
During their three weeks in the United States, participants from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian territories and Tunisia will strengthen and develop technical skills, form invaluable networks, and establish relationships with mentors that will influence their future tech careers.
Teenage girls The TechGirls initiative empowers girls around the world to become leaders in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
The 28 TechGirls will attend leadership clinics and project management workshops at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA and in Washington, D.C.
While at Virginia Tech, the teens will also participate in an eight day, interactive technology and coding camp conducted by the Department of Computer Science Training, participate in a day of job shadowing with top tech companies in the Washington, D.C.-area, and engage in community service activities.
Top leaders in the tech industry from the US and the Middle East and North Africa will mentor the girls throughout the programme.
The State Department and programme partner, Legacy International, have teamed up with both public and private sector partners for this year’s TechGirls programme, including: AT&T, Byte Back, Echo & Co, FCC, i Strategies Lab, Islamic Relief, Nokia, NPR, Relief International, Synoptos, TechChange, Vox Media, and 18F.
TechGirls exchange alumnae, now totaling 130, have utilized the program’s lessons to train more than 2 300 peers in their home countries.
“The achievements of these alumnae and the talent of the incoming class contribute to the US global commitment to advance the rights of women and girls around the world, as well as STEM education,” the Department of State noted.
Source: http://cajnewsafrica.com/2017/07/11/north-africa-girls-in-us-tech-exchange-scheme/