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FIRST Global Newsletter 5 September 2020

Byte of... Youth Empowerment


Welcome back to the Byte of... newsletter! Since the last edition, FIRST Global teams have created a global portrait, told short stories through animation, pitched the expansion of STEM education in their countries to government officials, and shouted out support for girls and other underrepresented groups in STEM. 

Join Us for the next STEM Talk and Interview  Today!


Join us for our fourth STEM Talk and Interview with Naoka Gunawardena and Victoria Coleman, two female engineers living their STEM dreams! We'll be learning more about their experiences, as well as hearing their insights for other females interested in pursuing STEM careers. A recording will be available for viewing after the talk.

⌚️ Saturday, 5 September at 1:00 PM UTC
➡️ Premiering on YouTube and Facebook

A Snapshot of the FIRST Global Community 📸


When we connect and work together, we can collectively build a better world. For the fifteenth social media challenge, we asked teams to submit a team photo that captures the theme of community and connectedness. We have compiled those submissions into a global portrait of the 2020 FIRST Global Challenge community! (Click on the image below to view.)

Getting Animated 💻


For the third technical challenge, we asked teams to use their creativity, storytelling skills, and technical prowess to create an animation with a narrative related to the theme of this year’s challenge — Connecting Communities.

Team Cambodia 🇰🇭
Team Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳
Team Palestine 🇵🇸
Team Latvia 🇱🇻
Team Ghana 🇬🇭
Team Cabo Verde 🇨🇻

Government Support 🏛️


For the sixteenth social media challenge, we encouraged teams to contact their government officials and make a detailed pitch for how they can support building access to STEM education in their country. Many teams received support from the officials they contacted, and in addition to sharing their pitches, in some cases also met with their officials to discuss the topic further. 

Team Chile 🇨🇱
Team Chile's pitch resulted in videos of support from nine officials, including authorities who proactively reached out to the team. Carolina Torrealba, Sub-Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Knowledge, said, "I want to congratulate and tell you that, as a country, we are proud that our national robotics selection is a girls-made team because they are role models. So, let's go girls, for more robotics and more women in science, technology, and innovation in our country." You can find more responses on their Instagram feed.

Team Gabon 🇬🇦
Team Gabon met with their Governor to explain the importance of STEM education, highlight their team's involvement with FIRST Global, and detail ways that STEM education can be made more accessible in Gabon.

Team Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
Team Turkmenistan met with the National Institute of Education, under the Ministry of Education, and discussed the importance of STEM and how the government should organize national robotics competitions to help spread STEM throughout the country. The Institute was supportive and encouraged the team to head the initiative. The Institute will also consider training teachers throughout the country in robotics education.

Team Australia 🇦🇺
Team Australia created a detailed guide called "Top 20 Tips for 2020 and beyond for STEM Promotion and Implementation in Education," and shared it with Australian politicians. They previously met with Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace MP to discuss their participation in the FIRST Global Challenge and the need for improvements in STEM education in Australia.

Team Namibia 🇳🇦
Team Namibia was invited to attend the President’s birthday celebration in August under the theme 'Innovative Youth.' They showcased their previous FIRST Global Challenge robots and explained the importance of STEM education initiatives for their country.

Team Guyana 🇬🇾
Team Guyana shared their pitch with Prime Minister Mark Phillips. In addition to his support for the team, he also agreed to help them secure a new workspace to accommodate their continued growth, as well as encouraged the team to collaborate with existing information and communication technology centers to expand the team's outreach efforts further and reach more students.

Team Honduras 🇭🇳
Team Honduras had a meeting with the Minister of the Secretary of State in Community Development, and as a result, the government will build the first technological center in the region, which will benefit more than 2,000 students. They will also work to build technological centers in high schools throughout Honduras. The Minister stated, "I am happy with the work that [your team is] doing with the robotics program, I am excited that you have contacted me, I am sure that we can do great things working together. Before this meeting, I was not very familiar with the term STEM, and now that you have enlightened me about that educational system, I know that it can be implemented in our schools effectively."

For the Ladies 🙋🏽‍♀️


Supporting STEM for all people is important, and there is a special need to support underrepresented groups in STEM fields. For the seventeenth social media challenge, we asked teams to share some wisdom for girls and others who may be interested in STEM, but may not have the access or support to pursue it. 

Team Hope 
"For all the girls who are interested in STEM, you have the ability and the power to change the world, but you should take the decision to show those creative ideas. It's the time to be part of every success, to be a creative thinker and worker. Let's all believe in our capabilities; with hard work and insistence, WE CAN DO IT."

Team Tanzania 🇹🇿
"One thing you have to do is believe in your own abilities, and don't ever let people bring you down with their words telling you that you can't do it. You should just enjoy being one among the gals out there making a difference."

Team Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
"Get involved in an area that you are passionate about; having determination and motivation. Your motto should be: we fall and we get up. Being a role model should be your goal. Be creative. Do not be afraid to show your ideas. Be dynamic. Know how to defend your opinions. Always have specific goals. Stay focused. Don't let your emotions sway you. Make your decisions with a rested head. Be passionate. Be ambitious. And this future will be ours!"

Team Gambia 🇬🇲
"It's reported that only about a quarter of STEM workers are female. We as girls must see STEM careers as something we can do without being shamed. How can we improve the gender gap? Let's talk about Ada Lovelace... Yes, the first computer programmer was female. If she could do it, I can do it, and you can also do it. Go for it!"

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