“Seeing is believing! JYCGIF hopes the participants will be inspired by the industry leaders and trailblazers who have succeeded in their respective fields,” said Cecilia Hon, Executive Director of JYCGIF, referring to the Summit and the signature “10,000 Girls4Girls Coding+” program. “Some of the students have also had the opportunity of getting involved in the preparation work for the Summit to hone their organisation skills.”

The “10,000 Girls4Girls Coding+” program is designed to empower 10,000 teen girls by 2025 by equipping them with digital skills plus leadership experiences, university and pre-career preparation and networking opportunities.

“I have had an unforgettable experience at the Summer Camp where I learned to code using Python, and tried out AI technology,” said Lucia Lai, Secondary 4 student at Saint Paul’s School (Lam Tin) and student volunteer in the Summit who guided the VIP guest touring the booths.

Chloe Ng, another student volunteer and Secondary 4 student at Precious Blood Secondary School, added: “I have always aspired to be a physical therapist. After joining the JYCGIF activities, I realised that coding skills would help widen my perspective in pursuing my future career.”

“We hope to motivate the student volunteers to train girls in their community to code,” said Hon. “Some of the student volunteers have visited other schools recently and taught other teen girls coding. Looking forward, JYCGIF is committed to continuing to work closely with local and global community leaders to create diverse opportunities that empower teen girls to become future leaders,” said Hon.

Industry leaders urged teen girls to make their mark

The FutureGEN Girls Leadership Summit 2022 has invited 25 inspirational industry leaders and trailblazers hailed from diverse fields and backgrounds to share insights on leadership development, business opportunities and innovative technologies. Cindy Chow, Executive Director at Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, joined the panel on “The Future is Now”.

A World Economic Forum study projected that 65% of children entering primary school today would finally end up working in completely new job types that do not exist yet, said Chow. She encouraged teen girls to develop logical thinking skills through STEM training, which will enable them to excel in every career.

“The advancement of technology is an irreversible trend, so teen girls should embrace and keep up with the latest developments, as they are changing the landscape in every profession,” added Chow.

“We have been supporting teenagers with STEM education through collaboration with various organisations, and we are looking forward to joining hands with JYCGIF to empower more teen girls with a technology mindset in future.”

Immersive workshops and engaging experiences

During the Summit, participants were also able to explore the power and versatility of technology in workshops led by experts and organisations. Students had a chance to try AI technology and machine learning in group activities involving problem-solving skills, as well as to experience a crash course in basic coding and cutting-edge AI face swapping.

Students also immersed themselves in the New Technology Interactive Zone which highlighted innovations that are shaping our future world and workplace. There were technology booths to showcase how they can make an impact on the future world of work.