STEM Her Future: A Community-Driven STEM Bootcamp for Girls in Eziobodo Village

#WIE #stem #outreach #communitybuilding #girlsinstem #stemoutreach #eziobodo #womeninengineering #ieee #waawfoundation
Share
 

Planning of the Outreach Events

Our 6-day “STEM Her Future” outreach was carefully planned to ensure smooth execution, strong impact, and proper student engagement. Key steps included:

Planning Steps

  • Conducted needs assessment of the three Eziobodo schools

  • Created a 6-day structured agenda (awareness → theory → practical → mentoring → final build)

  • Assigned clear roles to all volunteers (male + female teams)

  • Prepared materials ahead of time (LDRs, LEDs, breadboards, resistors, transistors, batteries)

  • Communicated with school administrators for logistics, classroom setup, and time allocation

  • Prepared safety guidelines for handling electronic components

  • Ensured gender-sensitive approaches (boys with male volunteers, girls with female volunteers or we mixed them up for easier interaction)

Outcome

The preparation allowed us to reach over 150 students, successfully carry out hands-on learning, and maintain consistent engagement across all the schools visited.

We have links to our social media posts highlighting each day's events:

Day 1:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ieee-futo-student-branch_stem-her-future-day-1-ieee-futo-student-activity-7383739190150266880-qUfx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAADxkrPABtg9bK0FF5y95nG7AU8GaX8cLJBE

Day 2:

 
Day 3 & 4:

  Date and Time

  Location

  Hosts

  Registration


  • Add_To_Calendar_icon Add Event to Calendar
  • Eziobodo, Owerri West LGA, Imo, Nigeria
  • Owerri, Imo
  • Nigeria 460115
  • Contact Event Hosts
  • Co-sponsored by IEEE Region 8 Professional & Educational Activities Committee (PEAC)




Agenda

Day 1 — Introduction to Engineering & Career Awareness

School: Bright Stars International Schools
Focus: Breaking gender stereotypes, career exposure
Activities:

  • Welcome address & introduction of IEEE and WAAW Foundation

  • Volunteers share their backgrounds in engineering

  • Students share their career aspirations

  • Discussion on gender bias in STEM

  • Motivational storytelling from volunteers

  • Reframing engineering as “problem-solving for everyone”

  • Interactive Q&A
    Outcome: Students begin to show interest in engineering; gender stereotypes addressed.

Day 2 — Introduction to Electronics & Streetlight Prototype (Theory + Identification)

School: Bright Stars International Seminary School
Focus: Foundational electronics
Activities:

  • Brief recap of Day 1

  • Explanation of voltage, current, resistance (with simple examples)

  • Introduction of components: LED, LDR, resistors, transistor, battery

  • Illustration of the streetlight circuit

  • Identification of components

  • Students divided into 15 groups for guided learning
    Outcome: Students identify components with confidence; readiness for practical session.

Day 3 & Day 4 (Merged) — Hands-on Practical: Building the Streetlight Prototype

School: Mary & Martha Sanctuary Girls Secondary School
Focus: Practical construction of an automatic streetlight system
Activities:

  • Practical demonstration by volunteers

  • Students build the circuit themselves using provided components

  • Testing with torchlight to simulate daylight

  • Speed challenge: student completes circuit in 27 seconds, he gets a prize for that

  • Deep STEM conversation on engineering careers
    Outcome: Very high engagement; strong interest especially among girls.

Day 5 — STEM Confidence Building & Leadership for Girls

School: New Vision Academy
Focus: Mentorship + leadership for girls
Activities:

  • Gender-separated mentoring sessions

  • Boys: link between mathematics, physics, and real-world problem-solving

  • Girls: confidence building, self-belief, and leadership in STEM

  • Students share future career goals

  • Inspirational talk by SB Chair 

  • Preview of next session’s streetlight build
    Outcome: Stronger confidence among students; renewed interest in engineering.

Day 6 — Final Build Session & Program Wrap-Up

Schools: All schools (conclusion summary)
Focus: Consolidation of knowledge and program evaluation
Activities:

  • Final construction demonstrations

  • Assessment of student learning

  • Group reflection and feedback

  • Distribution of rewards (stationery, sanitary pads)

  • Closing remarks from school leaders and volunteers
    Outcome: Over 150 students and girls inspired; teachers request future visits; program goals achieved.


Below is the link to all the pictures taken during the 6 day Outreach:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lvrO6xaoZX7QeyEp-cg4-N7ppf6GJFvn