Our IWD Event: Exploring Virtual Reality

InspireIT celebrated the International Women's Day (IWD) 2020 at Federal University of Technology Owerri. I started the event by introducing myself and my role as a World Pulse Ambassador. Afterwards, I asked the students to introduce themselves one after the other including their level and department. I also asked them to tell us what IWD and gender equity means to them. Majority of the students agreed that there is still a huge gap in gender equality and cited culture, family upbringing as some of the factors still "holding women down." Some of the male students also complained about the lack of enthusiasm on the part of some females in carrying out tasks and feel that is the reason why most employers are reluctant to work with a woman. However, the female students quickly pointed out various "scenarios" where their applications for industrial training have been rejected simply because they are females. They wondered why some employers will judge other females harshly just because of their past experiences with other females.

We had interactive class sessions on web app and virtual reality(VR). Participants shared their knowledge and were allowed to ask questions. We had a break in between and the students had snacks and drinks.

The students loved the VR session and wished we could continue all day. I used Google Cardboard to demonstrate how VR works and the participants took turns to try out the VR experience using a smartphone together with the Cardboards. The students who had smartphones with Android version 4.1 or higher were advised to download the Cardboard app and pair with the Google Cardboards provided. It was a beautiful experience for most of the participants who were understanding how VR works for the first time. After the session, we had Kahoot quiz and three winners went home with prizes.

During the closing remarks, I encouraged the students especially the young ladies to believe in themselves, not to give up no matter what, to connect with other women and join organizations like World Pulse. I also told them that consistency, persistence and determination are important in navigating through life hurdles.