A first for KZN; GirlEng held its’ Information Session on the 17^th April 2010 at the Howard College Campus, Durban. The event aimed to inform female high school students about the fascinating world of engineering, as well as to ignite “the engineering flame” within them.

The information session, advertised on radio; in schools, in tuitions and even social networks such as facebook, held an open invitation to all female grade 10-12 students who were interested in pursuing a career in engineering or just wanted more information regarding the field. GirlEng received an overwhelming response with over 120 enthusiastic girls being present.

The day began with an introduction of the organization by GirlEng Director, Hema Vallabh. Followed by the “ice breaker” (a version of broken down telephone which led to lots of laughs). This allowed the girls to interact and get to know each other a little better. This established a relaxed and un-intimidating atmosphere which set the scene for the rest of the programme.

Students of the various engineering disciplines outlined their respective fields. The presentations included areas of specialization, achievements of the disciple as well as challenges encountered in that field. Time was allocated for a tea break where the girls could mingle and have a look at displays presented by the various engineering schools, as well as get a chance to mingle with the GirlEng team.

Girls were handed application forms at the end of the session and were encouraged to apply for the Kick-off Workshop KZN to be held on the 1^st May 2010. The girls were attentive and interactive throughout the presentation- asking rather comprehensive questions and being rewarded with a sucker every time they did so.

GirlEng KZN certainly achieved the set-out goals of the information session by enlightening the girls and “Igniting the engineering flame”, while also ensuring the girls had a good time. It presented a platform from which information was passed on to so many learners in the most fun and exciting approach than ever before.

The GirlEng KZN Information Session was a phenomenal success thanks to a very dedicated team. To a job well done KZN! We look forward to the Kick-Off Workshop.

-          GirlEng KZN Team