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W.TEC, an acronym for Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre, has set up a laudable initiative for young girls, to groom them in leadership and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills. Consequently, they organized a week-long Technology Camp in April for teenage girls. The camp also doubled as a celebration of International Girls in ICT Day. The W.TEC Girls Technology Camp is an annual programme which started in 2008. It aims to mould young girls’ psyche, give them a positive image of technology, related fields and opportunities, while bridging the knowledge and skill gap between boys and girls in their career paths. From the organisers, the objectives of the camp was to: 1. To arouse in girls a technology-curious spirit and an interest in technology-related careers. 2. To give girls the opportunity to experience, experiment and learn in a real world environment through the Internet. 3. To encourage out-of-the-box thinking and provide an ideal environment for girls to think, plan their careers while gaining critical life skills such as teamwork, leadership skills and etiquette. 4. To create an innovative and encouraging platform where girls can showcase their talent in a fusion of education and entertainment. The recently concluded camp in April was a technology education and mentoring programme aimed at helping girls develop an early interest in computers and other aspects of information technology. Notably, the camp was held on the week of International Girls in ICT Day (April 23 – 27) and served as a platform to celebrate and encourage girls to learn and use information and communication technology for their social and economic development. International Girls’ Day was launched by the International Telecommunications Union with the idea of creating a global environment that will empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the field of information and communication technology. It is celebrated on each fourth Thursday in April. The five-day Technology Camp, which took place at Laureates College, Mafoluku, commenced on Monday 23rd April 2012 and ended on Friday 27th April 2012. A total of 17 students participated in the event and they were taught lessons on different topics among which were Blogging, Staying Safe Online, Graphic Design, Film Production and Website Development. These students learned how to create products like calendars, logos, video footages, and web pages. In addition to adding the students to a mailing list, W.TEC will conduct a post-camp interview after 6 months to monitor and track the progress of each participant, and to ensure that the ICT skills they learned are being put to good use. APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN for the 5th W.TEC Girls Technology Camp which will take place from August 3 to 18, 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria. This year’s partners for the camp include the World Bank and Adobe Youth Foundation. To support the Girls Technology Camp, please contact Oreoluwa Somolu at [email protected]. If you want to nominate girls to attend this camp, please visit: www.w-teconline.org/programmes.htm You can also stay in touch with W.TEC via their Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/wteconline. Or you may call any of the following numbers: +234.803.621.1307, +234.1.850.9782, +234 819 115 0387. Visit the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) at Suite 88, Block A-4 Sura Shopping Complex, Simpson Street, Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria.