A total of 158 unique young people attended the events over the week! This was our first-ever virtual academy, ran entirely on Microsoft Teams which meant that we had a global reach and were able to welcome loads of young women to the events. Each day had a different theme, and we closed the academy with a graduation ceremony and mini panel with TD Securities role models on Friday. After each one-hour session, we had a 30-minute ‘downtime’ session. This was a lovely opportunity for all the participants to connect, exchange knowledge, ask questions, and network between themselves and the TD Securities role models.
On Monday, 111 attendees joined us for a session on Presenting With Confidence.
TD Securities volunteers presented the girls with advice and tips on presentation skills. The session covered confident body language, avoiding saying ‘erm’, preparing for presentations, and much more. We left time for a Q&A at the end of the session during downtime. We asked the attendees what they enjoyed most about the session and they left some great feedback:
“Lots of useful advice was given in a really easy format! The speakers were great and were very engaging. I also enjoyed the Q&A.”
“I enjoyed the tips on what to do with your body and hands while presenting that helped!”
“I enjoyed the market pitch plans in the session that taught us the things to do during public speaking.”
On Tuesday, 110 attendees returned for a session on Working from Home and Time Management.
Time management is a skill everybody needs, regardless of their career stage. This session also covered how to prioritise tasks and how to work efficiently from home. This session went down a treat considering that it was delivered during the COVID-19 lockdown. We asked the attendees what they enjoyed most about this session and they left some great comments about the second day:
“I enjoyed how the speakers attached personal anecdotes to their points to show how their journey had an impact on them.”
“The tips for how to work from home were very useful! Also, the tips for time management and what to avoid to stop wasting time were good.”
“Everything! I’ve struggled to work from home in this new situation, so the advice was really helpful.”
95 attendees tuned in for the third session of the academy on Wednesday.
This session was all about developing Working On Your Brand, LinkedIn, and Interview Techniques. This session helped the attendees develop an elevator pitch and learn tips on how to get their dream job. We also covered how to network with confidence and prepare for job interviews. We received amazing feedback from the attendees about what they enjoyed most about this session:
“I enjoyed learning about my brand, doing the elevator pitch, and the top tips for improving my LinkedIn profile!”
“I enjoyed the tips on how to stand out be more confident and believe in yourself! If you believe in yourself working on your brand will be a bit easier!”
“I enjoyed learning more about Elevator Pitches.”
The energy during the week was amazing, it was soon Thursday, the second to last session.
93 attendees tuned in to Thursday’s session on Project Management and Effective Leadership. TD Securities volunteers led a session covering all aspects of teamwork and project management, including helping with team projects, initiating and planning. Here is what the attendees enjoyed most about the event:
“I enjoyed learning about project management and the different phases within it. I also liked Adriana’s top tips on effective leadership.”
“I loved learning about how leadership isn’t necessarily the typical being bossy or loud but how leadership is unique and much more loving and caring.”
We closed the week with a graduation ceremony!
Head Stemette hosted an insightful panel with TD Securities’ role models. We also played a Kahoot Quiz with loads of prizes up for grabs. The 15 winners of the quiz won a further, more personal mentoring session with TD Securities. The week was STEMazing and we are thankful to TD Securities and every young person who attended a session for helping make this academy happen. Here’s what the attendees had to say about graduation:
“The graduation day was very funny. I enjoyed the game part, very interesting.”
“I enjoyed the panel discussion as it was very helpful, and insightful, and wrapped the week perfectly. The quiz at the end was also very fun and I liked how it helped everyone recap the week they had and all the key tips, tricks, and pointers.”
“The quiz was a nice, light way to end a great week!”
Here is our STEMtastic data summary for the week
Networking:
90% of attendees now feel better connected to peers & role models in STEM.
Confidence:
93% of attendees now feel more confident in their leadership abilities.
Knowledge:
97% of attendees learnt something new from the intervention.
“The speakers did an amazing job and I was taking notes non-stop.”
Location breakdown:
16% of attendees were from outside of the UK. Locations included Canada, Benin, India, Ireland, USA, Philippines, Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela.
39% of attendees were located in Greater London.
45% of attendees were from the rest of the UK.
Another big Stemettes thank you to everyone involved in this our first virtual Leadership Academy! To keep up to date with future Stemettes events, head to our Eventbrite.
