Adolescent girls break gender stereotypes, one innovation at a time
UNICEF’s Digital Innovation Challenge: Generasi Terampil provides practical and transferrable skills for adolescents in East Java while helping them break gender stereotypes
On a bright Saturday morning in mid-September 17-year-old Eka Wahyu Anggraini felt excited about taking on a new challenge that would put her creative and innovative thinking to the test. She and 20 other adolescents were gathered in Surabaya, the capital of East Java, to participate in the Digital Innovation Challenge 2022: Generasi Terampil, a skills development programme initiated by UNICEF through a partnership with Yayasan Daya Kreasi Anak Bangsa (Markoding),
The initiative is part of a joint programme implemented by UNICEF and Markoding, in support of the Ministry of Education, Curriculum, Research and Technology, in which adolescents are equipped with 21st century (transferrable), digital and entrepreneurial skills to help them identify issues they are concerned about and to co-develop innovative solutions to tackle these problems. To date, the programme has reached almost 2,500 students (75 per cent girls and 25 per cent boys) in East Java province.
Students in senior high schools in East Java get to choose a vocational programme through “Double Track”, an effort to provide underprivileged students whose parents cannot afford to send them to university, with practical skills to prepare them for work after graduation. The female students in Eka’s school seemed pre-destined to take the culinary class.
Lack of Digital Access
Besides gender stereotypes, students also face infrastructure and accessibility challenges, including the availability of electronic devices and a reliable internet connection.
“The 3D modeling design application requires powerful laptops, which we do not have,” said Aswadina, who lives in a village around three hours away from Surabaya. “The internet connection in our village often fails as well.”
Rahmadani Lestari, 16, said she had barely even touched a laptop before the bootcamp and only used the desktop at her school in Lamongan District. Even then, it was only available during exams.
“Going from that to learning about complicated application design, it was quite shocking and overwhelming. But as we used it more, it became fun,” said Rahmadani, whose team created a laundry service app.
A programme mentor stepped in frequently to keep participants from being discouraged by this steep learning curve. Zulyana, who teaches crafts and entrepreneurship at SMAN (Public High School) 1 Ngronggot in Nganjuk, said the bootcamp was a giant leap for her students, who did not even have a computer class or a lab at school.
“This programme is very important. I see how students are getting more creative and confident,” Zulyana explained. “They are less afraid to speak in public and they befriend more people.”
Aswadina says the programme gave her a newfound self-esteem as a young woman aspiring to be financially independent.
“This training taught us relevant knowledge, skills and insights for the future. I’m sure we (girls) are capable, although people say that women have to be cute, coquettish and dependent on men,” she said. “I’d like to explore more but the applications are not free. Maybe my friends can chip in. I want to create more products and programmes.”
