Inequity and inequality exist for women and people of color, not only because of systemic issues, but also because of the confidence gap, the opportunity gap, the gender gap, and the pay gap that women encounter on a daily basis. At The Ajilla Foundation, our purpose is to close the gaps that stand as barriers to the progress of girls and women, through our strategic initiatives that begin in elementary school and continue through early career.
Through the Leadership, Innovation and Technology (LIT) Programs, we introduce our next generation of leaders to examples of women that are excelling in their respective fields, planting the seed and highlighting the fact, that if “she can do it, I can do it too.”
On Friday, July 10th, the Ajilla Foundation hosted its 2nd LIT event for girls ages 8-13. The event was a partnership with Roblox and Mastermind Designs and introduced girls to new ideas and concepts, coding skills, and the importance of teamwork that goes into building online games and experiences.
Thank you to Kelly from Roblox and Juni from Mastermind Designs for being an inspiration to our next generation of leaders. Kelly shared the many careers that exist at Roblox and highlighted that Roblox is #MoreThanJustAGame. She also provided practical tools for the participants to design and develop a community within the online game. Juni designed and created a fun and educational virtual escape room that highlighted the various gifts and talents that we each have within us.
Here is a visual recap from the event:
A very special thank you to all of the volunteers that made the event experience valuable. Thank you for paying it forward to the next generation of leaders!
Additional comments from the participants (ages 8-13):
“I learned about working in a team online and I made new friends”
“I learned we all make mistakes.”
“I liked how u can connect with other girls around your age”
“I was able to learn new things now I’m really interested in coding”
“I loved how nice and welcoming everyone is”
“I learned how to make games, and also learnt that making good games takes time”
“well I like that a lot of the girls had my ethnicity/race and I liked expressing my self for a change instead of staying quiet”
“I learned it takes some time to do things, so you have to be patient”
“I liked the diversity of girls!”
“ I learned that everyone can make a game if they apply themselves, and work hard on coding”
“I learned that if we work together we can do anything”