#digitalgenerationourgeneration

Second Annual Virtual Event on October 10 Shines a Light on 

Studio Samuel’s Training for Tomorrow Class of 2021!

studiosamuel.org/idg2021

[New York, NY – October 7, 2021] New York/Addis Ababa-based NGO and non-profit organization Studio Samuel, which empowers girls in Ethiopia to reach their potential through education and employable skills, is participating in International Day of the Girl (October 11), for the tenth year, with its second global event. The virtual celebration will shine a light on Studio Samuel’s Class of 2021, with 100 girls completing the two-year Training for Tomorrow program this year. Esteemed journalist, activist and organizer Hannah Joy Gebresilassie is hosting the International Day of the Girl event on Sunday, October 10, 8pm East Africa Time / 5pm BST / 1pm EDT / 10am PDT. 

Studio Samuel’s event and the organization’s mission run parallel to UNICEF’s International Day of the Girl theme “Digital Generation, Our Generation,” which calls for bolder solutions to gender inequality at a time when girls are more likely to be cut off from internet access at home. UNICEF cites that “the gender gap for global internet users grew from 11% in 2013 to 17% in 2019. In the world’s least developed countries, it hovers around 43%.” Moreover, girls are less likely to gain access to tech-related skills and jobs. 

Studio Samuel is dedicated to breaking down barriers that have created inequity and exclusion for generations, and its Training for Tomorrow curriculum is modeled around employable skills, including coding coursework first incorporated in the Training for Tomorrow Computer Lab in 2016. Now in 2021, the organization is in its first phase of launching the Studio Samuel Language Lab. Said graduating  student Beiment, “My favorite class at Studio Samuel is Computer Lab because I plan to be a software engineer.”

Over a time when educators around the world have had to be resourceful with access to coursework due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Studio Samuel brought the Language Lab to life through its Youth Ambassador Imogen, based in Jurien Bay, Australia, who has been speaking weekly via Zoom with Studio Samuel student Nobel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The exchange opened up as a way to bring English language skills to students through digital reading lessons. Nobel and Imogen are now forever friends, sharing their cultures, local news and plenty of joy and laughter. With proof of concept, the next phase of the Language Lab will bring on more university-attending female youth leaders to provide digital literacy components and impact more students. During the Studio Samuel International Day of the Girl virtual event, Imogen and Nobel will speak to UNICEF’s theme “Digital Generation, Our Generation,” and will illustrate their experience with staying connected, growing and learning during the global pandemic. Additionally, Imogen will be featured with the International Day of the Girl organization’s Girls Speak Out programming, which will be played at a girl-led roundtable discussion with UN representatives and partners on “Closing the Digital Divide to Accelerate Opportunity.” 

Studio Samuel’s event also will see special guests giving recognition to students, including Studio Samuel's Global Ambassador, multi-faceted artist, and Founder of The White Feather Foundation, Julian Lennon, who will narrate a student’s poem illustrating her first-hand account with child labor, further raising awareness for the importance of girls having access to education. Adds philanthropist Kennedy Odede of SHOFCO, “Studio Samuel has developed a comprehensive program for girls in Ethiopia and  their work is just amazing. Their program operates in a sustainable way to take these girls out of poverty so they can have a successful life.”

The goal of Studio Samuel’s International Day of the Girl event is to provide the incoming class of 100 students with tuition ($1,000/year per student for the two-year program) through its Studio Samuel Girls’ Scholarship Fund. Studio Samuel is inspired by the formation of a global community that is connected to its students in Ethiopia; impacting a girl impacts humanity, extending beyond geographical borders.

Said Melkam Eshetu, Gender Expert at Woreda Office of Women’s and Children’s Affairs, “Studio Samuel has made a big impact on our community through its curriculum. Unemployment is a big problem in Ethiopia. Studio Samuel is minimizing the jobless in our community because of its training for women and girls. And they have provided life-saving assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Studio Samuel is the first and main organization that contributes to big change in our community, and for this reason we have awarded the organization with the Certificate of Acknowledgement and Appreciation on two different occasions. We are very grateful for this work.”  

Said Tamara Horton, Studio Samuel Founder/Executive Director of the organization’s activity and alignment with International Day of the Girl, “Our local actions have a global impact. This past year, we’ve seen how connected our world is and if we’re going to succeed as a community, a nation, a global economy…women must have equity in the digital world.

Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as International Day of the Girl. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. Studio Samuel supports education, fosters employable skills and contributes to the global movement through the ripple effect around the girls in its program.