The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat joins the rest of the world in celebrating girls and young women in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on Girls in ICT Day – Thursday, 25 April 2019.
International Girls in ICT Day is an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) initiative and is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April under the theme ‘Expand Horizons, Change Attitudes’. The objective of the initiative is to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in ICTs.
Over the years, the CARICOM Secretariat has rallied for and supported girls and women in ICT. This year, the Secretariat’s plan will encompass a yearlong regional programme of activities and will coincide with various international observances, to help girls and young women understand the tremendous benefits of leading and actively participating in the tech industry.
The proposed programme of activities will support policy decisions for both the CARICOM Single ICT Space and the Human Resource Development Strategy 2030. It is designed to encourage girls, young women and boys to pursue careers in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and will target the following stakeholder groups: Students, Teachers/Educators/Parents, Academia and Policy-makers.
Activities, during the year will include Open Days at various public and private sectors, internships, social media features on CARICOM girls and women in ICTs, Panel Discussions with youth as panelists, eMentoring programmes, exhibitions, and regional competitions in Photography, Videography, Animation and Art.
The CARICOM Secretariat will partner with a number of entities to deliver the proposed programme for 2019-2020. These partners include the Ministry of Education of Guyana: Guyana’s National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD); the University of Guyana; the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE); Ministry of the Presidency of Guyana: the Department of Culture; Ministry of Public Telecommunications; Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. (gtt); Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Guyana; STEM Guyana; Guyana Animation Network (GAN); Caribbean Cybersecurity Center; United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); CANTO and the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors.
On Girls in ICT Day, the Secretariat will engage in an Online Launch of its programme of activities. Polls, surveys, and features of regional / national girls and women in ICT, will form part of the virtual launch.
CARICOM Member States will also be conducting various activities to commemorate the Day.
