Girls in ICT Day is a traditional event established by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU). One of the goals is to encourage and empower girls when it comes to choosing their profession, and inspire them to consider their interests and talents without conforming to the stereotype that IT is a field exclusively for men.

This was the topic of the discussions and lectures held at the school.

This important and highly popular event is celebrated on 22 April. Because of the pandemic, this year the event includes different online activities organised throughout the world. In addition, many educational institutions are organising events and discussions, and approaching this topic from different perspectives.

ENCOURAGING GIRLS TO BECOME PROGRAMMERS THROUGH INTERESTING LECTURES

Ahead of this international event, project mentors, Ira Tuba and Danica Nikolić, designed a workshop just for girls. 

They had a conversation with Jana Poleksić, a programmer and the mother of our student Luka. The topic was: involvement of girls (and women) in IT.

With a lot of drive and inspiration, the students got first-hand information, motivation and arguments encouraging them to pursue programming or engineering and become successful.

On par with their male colleagues who are often favoured.

SCIENCE IS NOT MASCULINE – A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESTIGIOUS SCIENTIST

We have also welcomed Eva Tuba, the sister of our IT teacher Ira. Eva is currently on Stanford’s list of the top 2% scientists in the world. She conveyed the advantages and benefits of being a scientist, and discarded the typical image of a scientist as a man in a lab coat and glasses. The project mentors noticed that the students felt special and important because this day and the workshop were dedicated exclusively to them.

In addition, the girls were encouraged to pick a profession – not just science or IT, but also sports or any other area, without conforming to gender biases. If they are persistent, success will follow! The international Girls in ICT Day, created by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in April.

Since it was established in Germany in 2001, more than a million girls have participated in this event. And the numbers keep growing.