Yonni Sidelsky
Evening at Afeka Academic College of Engineering
On a fine summer evening in late May, 350 teenage girls dressed in pink t-shirts filled the Afka college campus, filling the air with tranquility that blended unusually with the computer-stations that were spread across the gardens. The young women walked from station to station, impressing guests with websites that they themselves built, all dedicated to women scientists in history.
The event was the highlight of a three month process of learning and experience.
The young women in pink were the 8th grade “Sodkot” participants from 18 different schools across the country, all part of the unique “Cracking the Glass Ceiling” program.
One of the most significant components in “Cracking the Glass Ceiling” is role-modeling. Under this concept, the young women are exposed to successful Israeli women of high-tech in order to increase their ambition and to show them from up close that they too can succeed. As part of this, Kol Israel Haverim matched them up with volunteering women entrepreneurs who guided them during regular meetings in building a WIX website.
The role-modeling experience and inspiration was double, deriving both from the female scientists on whom they based their websites, and from the volunteers who passionately contributed time and knowledge. The websites were built in small groups, and each school chose a single website to represent it in the competition that took place during the evening. Female judges from the high-tech industry chose their favorite websites based on a check-list that was sent to them in advance and interviews conducted with each contestant at their station.
While the judges were making their decisions, the audience gathered to enjoy an end-of-year ceremony hosted by Ms. Hamutal Meridor, a high-tech entrepreneur and one of the founders of the program. A presentation was made on stage celebrating the 10th graders’ project that they completed in their “adopting” companies and an impressive panel took place, in which young women talked about the process and its great influence.
At the end of the day everyone walked away as winners, including the participants, the volunteers and the staff. And yet, the judges had to choose, and the winners were declared:
Third place: Tchernichovsky School's website from Netanya
Second place: Shazar School's website from Bat-Yam
First place: Agnon School's website from Netanya
