A warm congratulations to all of our students who participated in this year’s Girls Go Tech (GGT) Programme, commemorated by a Closing Ceremony, School Awards and Inter-School Expo last Wednesday.

Our groundbreaking GGT Programme was launched in 2015 as a year-long school-based programme that aims to encourage junior secondary school girls from primarily under-privileged backgrounds to pursue traditionally male-dominated STEM related subjects to maximise their future career options. Our comprehensive curriculum covers three areas: basic coding and computer skills, non-cognitive skills such as problem solving skills and analytical skills, and increasing confidence around STEM. To date, over 2000 girls and teachers have participated in the Programme. Our closing ceremony was our first time showcasing so many elements of the Programme, including the accomplishments of the participants and the progress schools have made in promoting STEM.

Attending guests were impressed by the creativity and innovation shown by the participants’ projects on display at the Inter-School Expo. From smart parking systems to security devices and temperature sensitive water bottles, the projects demonstrated how their learned skills can be applied to tackle real social issues.

What everyone was most impressed by, however, was how the Programme piqued the participants’ clear passion for STEM, and we know many will continue sharpening and developing their skills. This sustained interest in STEM is exemplified by Akemi, a Form Four student studying ICT at Pope Paul VI College. Her interest in STEM was first sparked during her participation in GGT three years ago when she won a competition for writing and coding a game application. This year, she helped her junior classmates develop a stuffed toy with the ability to soothe children with ADHD. We can’t wait to hear what she and other alumni pursue next year!

This event also recognised the key roles that schools play in promoting STEM education, particularly among girls. Examples include the formal inclusion of STEM as a key development area by the school’s leadership and the integration of STEM elements into the curriculum of non-STEM subjects, among many others. To this effect, we recognised six GGT participating schools for their successes in this area via our GGT School Awards. Carmel Alison Lam Foundation Secondary School received the “GGT Grand Award”, while Holy Trinity College, Munsang College (Hong Kong Island) and Hong Kong True Light College received the “GGT Sustainability Award”, the “GGT Transformation Award” and the “GGT Empowerment Award” respectively. Kit Sam Lam Bing Yim Secondary School and Pope Paul VI College were granted the “GGT Commitment Award”. To view more moments from the event, please click here.

Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of many schools, organisations and individuals that made this programme and this inaugural event possible. We would particularly like to extend our deep thanks to:

- The Honorable Charles Mok, JP - Legislative Councillor (IT Constituency) for sharing remarks in his capacity as the Officiating Guest;
- The GGT School Awards co-organiser Goldman Sachs, and in particular, a special thanks to Denise Wyllie, head of the Federation for Asia Pacific, for delivering remarks;
- Our event co-organiser, the Department of Electronic Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong, especially Professor Stella Pang - Chair Professor of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, for delivering welcome remarks;
- Our corporate partners that made the GGT Programme 2017/18 possible: 100 Women in Finance, Accenture, BlackRock, Bloomberg, BNY Mellon, Capital, Emerson, FACE Club of Hong Kong Computer Society, Goldman Sachs, Google, Macquarie Group, MTR Corporation, State Street and Telstra;
- Dr Anita Chan and Dr Adam Cheung from the Education University of Hong Kong for conducting research relating to Hong Kong's STEM education and gender;
- HKT Education for sponsoring prizes for the GGT School Awards;
- All of the supporting organisations for their contributions;
- And last, but not least, a huge thanks to the over 500 distinguished guests from 50+ supporting organisations who attended the event.

Whether you supported in person or from afar, it is very much appreciated and we look forward to sharing more developments surrounding our GGT Programme in the months to come. If you would like to support next year’s GGT Programme or our new GGT Alumni Platform, please contact Connie.Cheung@twfhk.org..

Get in touch at Fiona.Nott@twfhk.org.

P.S. We were thrilled to learn of Hong Kong court’s recent ruling that allows same-sex couples the right to spousal visas that were previously only available to heterosexual couples. We hope that this ruling is the start of many more positive developments to come for Hong Kong’s LGBT+ community. Read more about the ruling here.