Mission statement

SWiET is a non-profit organisation based at the University of Johannesburg with the mission to form a sisterhood amongst female engineering students. This shall be done through academic upliftment and support, educational enrichment, and fun social opportunities. The society also intends on contributing to the empowerment of the community on an academic and social level.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

2011 SWiET Outreach

We will be announcing all sorts of exciting opportunities and projects that you can get involved in and give a little back to the community in a real (fun) way. Below is the basic outline for the outreach program we have planned for SWiET 2011.

WiEBE and SWiET will be hosting the YWIS day (Young Women in Schools Day) on the 7th of May at SciBono. We need about 10 society members to get involved on the day. Transport from APK and DFC will be arranged if you’d like to come along as a facilitator/role model for young women in grade 11 and 12. This will involve a welcome session, some interesting activities for the girls to get involved in, and then lunch with a closing session. This event will be a great way for the girls to interact with science and maths in a fun way to get them interested in these subjects that could lead them to a career in engineering.

We also want to support the ‘The SOAPkidz Mountain Challenge’. SOAPkidz empowers vulnerable children in Africa by connecting them to nature. We are looking for passionate volunteers to join us or volunteers that might want to arrange other opportunities for the girls to hike.

We would also like to get more involved with the TechnoLab at UJ this year. Currently we do have SWiET ladies tutoring the first years. If you’re interested in getting involved at this level (and get paid for your efforts), contact the TechnoLab and tell them SWiET sent you ;). Also, the TechnoLab often host schools and holiday clubs where they promote science and technology in a really fun way, building water rockets and robots and so much more. We would like to get you involved in helping to present at these events to make it even more fun and exciting.

We are also very happy to announce our collaboration with SAWomEng (South African Women in Engineering) in 2011. SAWomEng have set up a program called GirlEng, which encourages young women in high school to get involved and excited about engineering. We are very fortunate to be able to get involved with this project. Three of our members went to the mentorship training program on the 2nd of April at WITS. This, along with an information session for prospective female engineering students on the 7th of May at UJ, will prepare them for a weekend camp towards the end of the year with the school girls. This will be a great opportunity to get the young girls interested in engineering and to give them an experience they otherwise would not have been able to get.

Remember your role as a SWiET member:

As more women enter the profession and more and more networks are formed and more and more role models are seen, the perceptions are changed and a lot of the difficulties faced by women in engineering are conquered. Giving young women access to female role models and mentors, and supporting peer networks will influence the minds of those wanting to enter the field of engineering. And ultimately, that is our goal!
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