The STEM Belle
Bootcamp
A two-week fully funded summer boot camp, brought together 60 high achieving girls and 15 STEM teachers from our impact schools for an intensive and exciting STEM focused on site camp.
Overview
The maiden edition of an 8-day fully – funded boot camp for high achieving students, STEM teachers and school counsellors. A total of 59 female students and 13 school teachers and one representative from the Oyo State Ministry of Education were hosted in Lagos – Nigeria between 17th to 25th August 2019, where they engaged hands-on STEM activities and competitions, STEM career session, professional teachers development training, STEM industry tours etc. All students were in groups and 11 STEM females volunteered to Chaperone the students and co-host the teachers.
Project Goal
To attract more girls to STEM by increasing the number of Junior High School girls who choose STEM subjects and retain them through to tertiary levels, thereby re-calibrating the female representation in STEM fields by 2030.
Participants arrived from their respective schools via a fully paid transport service. All 59 students and 13 educators arrived from:
(i) Baptist Nursery and Primary school, Bode Ijaiye – Abeokuta
(ii) Community High School Ido – Ibadan
(iii) Akufo High School – Ibadan.
They were warmly received by the Chaperones, their registration details were collected, boot camp packs were handed out and they were ushered to their boarding accommodation.
What made the STEM Belle boot camp special?
The STEM Belle boot camp was unique, because it is one of the first events to house senior primary and junior secondary school female students from underserved communities, to promote involvement in STEM fields. The strategies implemented were approached from the bottom top and was targeted at students in primary school and junior secondary school level as beneficiaries.
Project Objectives
We're focused on getting more girls fit for the future of STEM
To correct wrong notions and perceptions about girls in STEM and to break gender-based stereotypes and cultural barriers limiting girls from taking up subjects and careers in STEM.
To enlighten and encourage senior primary and junior secondary school girls (who are yet to make decisions on their career choices and subjects) to join STEM classes in senior secondary school and subsequently take up and lead careers in STEM fields.
To expose the girls to the diverse facets of STEM fields and the opportunities, mentorships, resources, scholarships and future training, that they can harness to succeed in STEM.
To reveal to the girls, the day to day life of a STEM professional through a STEM tailored industry tour program.
To empower them to break glass ceilings that they may come across during their STEM career growth and development
To refresh the teacher’s knowledge of their peculiar roles towards leading girls towards STEM fields, through a specialized and intensive teacher’s professional development training
Expected Outcome and Impact
Attract. Retain. Advance
Our target impact from the Boot camp is to graduate a cohort of fifty (50) females with an unbiased, renewed and positive perspective about girls and women in STEM
Increase in number of girls who choose STEM subjects and specializations in Senior High Schools
An empowered crop of girls determined to break any glass ceiling presently before them or as the progress in their STEM career growth
Better informed girls on the various fields in STEM and opportunities to leverage in STEM fields.
Teachers who understand the roles they play in influencing girls into STEM fields.
Boot Camp Report
Day 1
welcome and reception
Welcome and reception
Participants arrived from their respective schools via a fully paid transport service. All 59 students and 13 educators arrived from: (i) Baptist Nursery and Primary school, Bode Ijaiye – Abeokuta, (ii) Community High School Ido – Ibadan (iii) Akufo High School – Ibadan. They were warmly received by the Chaperones, their registration details were collected, boot camp packs were handed out and they were ushered to their boarding accommodation.
Day 2
•Safety and STEM
•Safety Tour
Safety in STEM
A hands-on session where all camp participants learned about safety consciousness , making safe choices and decisions, especially when building a career in STEM fields.
Day 3
The future is STEM
The future is STEM
The future is STEM, but what strategies are in place to get more girls fit for the future of STEM? This was an eye-opening session, where the girls and teachers learned how technology is and will take over most jobs in the future. It stressed on the need for more people, especially girls to get into science and technology to remain relevant.
Day 4
•Engineering •Drone Technology •3D Printing •Teachers training on Microsoft application
3D Printing
The students learned the history of 3D printing, basic introduction to 3D designs and programming, the uses of 3D printing and its downstream application in STEM careers to solve real life problems. Also, they were shown the prospects of 3D printing and career opportunities to explore in additive manufacturing. The students designed a program and printed mini key holders
Drone technology
This was a hand-on session where the participants flew drones and learned about the techniques of Arial photography, drone technology and Unmanned Arial Vehicles. The students learned on the downstream applications of drone technology in medicine, security, logistics, healthcare etc.
Teachers Microsoft training
The teachers also gained hands – on teaching on Microsoft office package and internet utility from a certified Microsoft trainer. The training focused on the use of Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint packages.
Day 5
•Industry Tour - Bayer •Industry Tour - UniLag •Industry Tour - Chicken Republic
STEM Industry tour - UNILAG
We visited the water treatment plant as well as the power control and distribution plant at the University of Lagos. We were received by the Chief Engineer of the works department, and the girls and teachers had alternating interactive sessions at the two plants.
STEM Industry tour - Bayer
We paid a courtesy visit to Bayer Nigeria, where we listened to presentations and from the staff representatives of the three main arms of the company. We had an extended interactive session where the students and teachers asked various questions on Bayer’s operational strategy and how to create a career path in Bayer. We also had a tour of the office facility
STEM Industry tour – Chicken Republic
We visited Chicken Republic’s Food Concepts, where we toured the technology driven spices production plant. We saw first hand, the production process of Chicken Republic’s meals from raw ingredients to plate. We also had a tour of the food concepts warehouse. Chicken republic is one of the largest fast food outlet in Nigeria.
Day 6
•Agriculture • Robotics • STEM lemons to lemonades • Curriculum development training for teachers • Teachers Microsoft application training
Agriculture
The girls learnt how the agricultural space has changed and progressed as a result of technology. Career opportunities to explore in agriculture, and the subjects to focus on, to develop a career in agriculture. Also, they learnt about new technologies and recent advances in agriculture, sustainable and precision agriculture for a reduced footprint on the environment.
Robotics
This session explained the increasing attention to building robots, the down stream applications of Robotics in solving the world’s problems, the career opportunities in coding, robotics AI and mechatronics, Introduction to coding, designing programs and building robots There was also a mini Lego League
Teachers Microsoft training
The teachers also gained hands – on teaching on Microsoft office package and internet utility from a certified Microsoft trainer. The training focused on the use of Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint packages.
Curriculum development training
With collaboration from the Queensland Department of Education and Training in Australia, the teachers received an online practical training, which focused on more efficient and optimal ways of curriculum delivery for increased STEM learning
Day 7
•Public Health - SRH • Life In Senior Secondary School • Personal development • CASIO calculator training • Utilising available resources to teach STEM
Public health - SRH
This was a hand-on session where the participants flew drones and learned about the techniques of Arial photography, drone technology and Unmanned Arial Vehicles. The students learned on the downstream applications of drone technology in medicine, security, logistics, healthcare etc.
Personal development
The girls had an multiple interactive personal development sessions on etiquette, personal conduct, goal setting, STEM entrepreneurship, consent, gender based domestic violence, etc.
Life in senior secondary school
The girls learned about what to expect in Science class in senior secondary school. The JSS3 students received special tips and advices as they prepare to join science class. They were also taught on the place of hard work and continuous studying in excelling in Science classes and STEM fields.
Teachers development training
The teachers received a one-day continuous professional development training where they gained knowledge on utilising education for sustainable development, as well as skills in recent teaching pedagogy for improved teaching and increased learning
Utilising available resources to teach STEM
As educators from underresourced schools, the teachers learned sustainable ways to utilise available resources for practical STEM teaching and learning
Casio calculators training
This training was facilitated by School kits Nigeria, the official distributors of Casio in Nigeria. The session focused on optimised use the scientific calculator for improved Maths and Science teaching and increased learning. All teachers received a gift of a CASIO calculator after the training, courtesy of CASIO.
Day 8
•STEM higher education •Poster presentation •STEM Belle kit •STEM Belle ambassador •Certificate and awards •Teachers panel session •Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony
The boot camp came to a close with a closing ceremony, which was specially attended by the principals of the two secondary schools on camp. At the closing ceremony, the girls presented their posters, a STEM Belle kit was unveiled and a STEM Belle ambassador emerged.
STEM higher education at Nottingham
The West African representative of the University of Nottingham delivered a session on pursuing STEM higher education at any of the University of Nottingham campuses.
Poster presentation
The girls had a camp project to individually design their 10-year STEM career vision board. They worked hard on this project with guidance from their Chaperones, and presented it in poster style to the teachers, sponsors and guests at the closing ceremony
The STEM Belle Ambassador
During the camp, all students were monitored for various criteria, and one was unanimously identified and announced as the brand ambassador during the closing ceremony. The aim of this is to acknowledge and recognise high achieving young female students in STEM. The one-year role will also be an opportunity for her to share her story and inspire more young girls to take up careers in STEM fields.
The STEM Belle kit
At the closing ceremony, The STEM Belle kit was unveiled. The kit which contains Science teaching and laboratory supplies, were given to 17 of our girls, who are going into Senior secondary classes. The aim of this kit is to reduce the cost of studying STEM subjects in senior secondary school and to encourage interest of girls in STEM
Presentation of awards and certificate
Certificates of participation were presented to all students and teachers. In addition to the certificates, gift bags were presented to all volunteers/ chaperones while a corporate souvenir bag was presented to the school principals and the representative from the Ministry of Education. The teams who won the most games and demonstrated high level of punctuality were also recognised.
Day 9
• Departure
