By Rebecca Woods Baum | Net@ Paving the Way for Leadership
The 2017-2018 Net@ year has seen some wonderful successes this year with opening ceremonies, hackathons, coexistence meetings between Israeli Arabs, Bedouin and Jews and the introduction of new tracks within our curriculum which include coding and digital design. Two particulary inspritational programs that took place in December is our Net@ Leadership Seminar and the Girls Hackathon.
Net@ Leadership Seminar:
The leadership seminar for fourth year Net@ participants, took place in the heart of Jerusalem during Chanukah, when tensions were particularly high in Israel. But this seminar spread light among all the participants. Thirty-seven diverse participants from all over the country participated in innovative technological workshops along with leadership workshops on topics such as: Israeli society, how to generate social mobility, group leadership, social equality and social responsibility. We held an inclusive and diverse Kabbalat Shabbat whose focus was on understanding the other and accepting responsibility. The seminar helps to solidify their leadership skills and prepares them for a meaningful year. Net@’s final year is a project-oriented one in which participants an opportunity to actively use the knowledge and expertise they gained throughout the program.
Girls' Hackathon
In December,students from the Net @ program from communities all over the country came together at the Microsoft offices in Raanana for a Girls Only Hackathon that introduced the girls to new content within the tech world. Over one hundred and twenty Arab and Jewish girls from all over the country, including, Ramla, Tel Aviv/Yaffo, Yarka, Hura, Nazareth/ Nazareth Illit, Jerusalem, Tira, Kfar Saba and Beer Sheva. The girls are not only introduced to new and exciting skills but also interact with powerful female leaders at Microsoft.
The seminars for the day included:
Digital Poster design - a workshop about digital banner design, starting from the inception of the idea to the creation of the banner.
Animation - a workshop about creating digital animation.
Comics - a workshop exploring the processes of creating comics and conveying a message through comics/pictures.
Innovation for Women in the High Tech World- a workshop delivered by Orly, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Microsoft, who talked about female industry leaders within innovation and entrepreneurship, encouraging the girls to pursue careers in these areas.
Round table discussions with Microsoft Employees- Female employees talked about their personal stories, gave tips for success and integration into the high-tech world and answered the questions of the inquisitive girls.
The girls were given hands-on experiences to try the different skills they were hearing and learning about. When asked why a Girls Only Hackathon is important, 15-year-old Jennifer from Ramla said: "It really helps us to encourage our independence. I know there is going to be a change in the world, in the high tech world, I already see it. When I started the program, there were only 4 girls in my year, now I see the younger groups have a lot more, it's more equal. It shows that Net@ believes in girls and wants to motivate them and it encourages all girls who are not sure about Net@ or learning about technology to feel comfortable and confident in doing so."
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