Digicel to host virtual empowerment conference for young women

The Digicel Foundation is expected to host its third annual Girls Power Tech, meant to inspire and empower young women between the ages of 13 and 18 to pursue or consider careers in information and communications technology.

The theme for the event is The Next-Gen of Women and is expected to take on the format of a virtual conference with online and virtual reality elements using Altspace VR.

In a statement, the foundation said, “The new-tech space will be managed by an events company, Caesar’s Army. Caesar’s Army’s Antillea Virtual world is a part of AltSpace VR platform from Microsoft, which gives participants the ability to create their own avatar and participate fully in the two-day event.”

The event will be celebrated against the backdrop of the recent International Women’s Day celebrations, in collaboration with Digicel Business, Shell TT Ltd, and Loop TT.

In a male-dominated technology ecosystem, Digicel said female empowerment is critical.

The two-day event will see an opening ceremony, tech demonstration booths, and influential speakers, hackathon – an event, usually hosted by a tech company or organisation, where programmers get together for a short period to collaborate on a project.

“The hackathon, a main feature of the event, challenges the young women to brainstorm and develop technology-based solutions for social challenges. The topics this year will focus on renewable energy and energy solutions, education, and violence against women.”

There will also be a virtual soca concert on a virtual beach to bring the curtains down on the event.

Registration began on April 12 and will run until June 15.

About 350 people will be selected.

Registration forms can be found at https://bit.ly/327KE35, on social media @digicelfoundationtt, and the Digicel Foundation’s website – digicelfoundation.org.