Technovation Girls, in perspective, a great adventure that has taken us where we never dreamed of going. It's a pity that the edition
MARTA DUEÑAS BECERRIL
Thank you for your support, and to NTT DATA for giving us this opportunity!
We want to tell you about our experience and what has meant for us to develop this project. It is something extraordinary to participage with girls, who without previous training or experience, and being their firs time, have reached the top of the world in this challenge.
As mentors, when we joined this great team, Menudas Mentes, we knew we had a great challenge ahead of us, to inspire, enjoy and teach these little girls who were about to do something very big. And of course, to give them and their mothers the confidence that they were capable of tackling this challenge at Technovation Girls, all that and much more.
"As girls and women, we have to believe in ourselves, in our abilities and know that we can do anything"
In our experience, being part of Technovation requires a great commitment from all of us, girls, mothers and mentors. Teamwork, flexibility, planning, task sharing and coordination are some of the keys to successfully achieve this ambitious challenge. It is not only about developing an app or, in our case, an artificial intelligence model.
It is also about thinking about the problems of our society ,thinking about the problems of our society, defining challenges that have a great impact, proposing solutions and also having the ability to communicate and share our proposal with the world. That is the real challenge at Technovation Girls.
What do we take away from this experience as mothers and mentors?
The satisfaction of having seen this wonderful group of girls grow, learn, and enjoy realizing how they are able to face all the challenges that are put in front of them.
To believe in themselves, to speak in front of the camera and in English, to present their project on TV, to be proud of going through phases, to be recognized for a job well done and of course, to be among the top 5 teams in the world.
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I had knowledge of the project like most of you, by word of mouth from colleagues. Specifically it was in 2018, Carol invited me to the Tecnovation Girls final in Aragon, Spain, where she was participating as a team mentor. I loved what I saw and thought about being able to eventually create a team, when my daughter Estela could participate.
My spirit was awakened in this past call. Finding mentors was not a problem at all, Carol immediately volunteered and she herself convinced Marta. Looking for girls, that was another story, most of them think about technology as a hobby and they are very reluctanct to leave that path. You need to be very didactic with them and by extension with the children as well!!! Who would have told me then that I was looking for the embryo of a winning team?
As a mother I have to say that our work is essential in a team of such young girls. Coordinating in this busy world full of extracurricular activities is an art, and even more once you get to the finals.
We have been a winning team because we are all exceptional. Top technologists as mentors; mothers and fathers who have done the possible and impossible so that the girls were ready when needed; and of course the girls, committed and intelligent, have had to be able to respond to adversities, such as facing the final far from eachother, because at that time they were on holidays at different places in Spain.
During this time, I have seen how the girls developed technological skills, also a great confidence in themselves and in their teammates. This has led them to perform a teamwork very difficult to improve in any other type of activity.
This is an experience that I would recommend to all families. Finalists or not finalists are always winners in knowledge, and trully a rewarding experience.
