Together ‘Bridging the Gap’- Day 03
August 20, 2021 at 12:30 PM - August 21, 2021 at 12:30 PM @ Online event
Description
“ Together – Bridging the Gap ” is a project, organized by the IEEE WIE Affinity Groups of SLTC (IEEE Sri Lanka Section - Region 10) and UNA (IEEE Paraguay Section - Region 09) in partnership with Model United Nations Club of SLTC. The project is a result of the international alliance formed by WIE SLTC, Sri Lanka and WIE UNA (Universidad Nacional de Asuncion) Paraguay. This was the first project organized in collaboration with an international student community at SLTC. In addition to that, it is also the first international project orchestrated by the IEEE WIE Affinity Group of SLTC . Our goal was to enhance and improve the English proficiency of both SLTC and UNA undergraduates through a fun learning experience while integrating engineering topics. “Together” was presented as a platform to share cultural values and a great opportunity for all our participants to network internationally. The project not only connects our student communities but also has improved the networking between region 09 and region 10 greatly. Day 03 commenced its proceedings with updates on the takeaway tasks of day 02 and the leaderboard rankings of the participants’ teams. The session was moderated by Theja Samarakoon and Savindhya Seneviratne – Organizing committee members of the project. As mentioned earlier, ‘Together’ was a project dedicated to improving the skills of engineering undergraduates with fun learning. The first activity for Day 03 was “Read and Fill”. In the given period of time, the participants had to work in groups to read, understand and fill in the answers to the questions given. The activity put the skills of scanning and skimming to the test. Comprehension is a necessity in the skill set for any professional and our participants were allowed to improve more in that aspect through this activity. “ Friendship Overseas” is highly emphasized in our project and considerable interest was shown by all to learn about the cultures . In commencing the project Dalia Ruiz Diaz, Chair of WIE UNA stated that “ I think the beauty of being an international volunteer is that we have the opportunity to expand our vision of the world and get to know different cultures and people. It helps us to change our mindset and make it more flexible and creative” . The main session for day 03 was presentations about cultural differences of both Sri Lanka and Paraguay . As expressed by our participants, learning about cultures was a top choice for joining with Together. Accordingly, the presentations about the cultures of Sri Lanka and Paraguay were a highlight of the day. The teams presented their findings from their own research and shared similarities and differences with great fascination. Apart from learning about the countries and values, the participants showcased their presentation skills and ability to manage time. The participants showed visible improvements in their speaking and presenting skills. Incorporation of group activities proved to be a soft skills enhancer at Together immensely. As much as we concentrate on skill development, we were also focused on incorporating fun elements into the agenda in healthy doses. The Movie Master was such an item. It was a quiz on famous English movies and the fastest to answer will answer. The quiz was held via Kahoot! and the participants showcased their lively competitive spirit. Learning English is not an easy journey for many students. Stepping into the world as a professional the need for competency in the universal language is highly felt. Our participants were allowed to share their own stories of learning English. The inspirational stories were shared to increase the motivation and to seed inspiration within all participants. “Bridging the Gap” not only meant the geographical distance but it also gave meaning to bridge the gap of skills we have. The session was a heartening moment as the experiences were shared. The day came to an end with a Sinhala entertainment item and the invitation to all participants join with the ‘Panel Discussion of Together’ held on the 21st of August 2021. Discussions via WhatsApp were held throughout the week.
Agenda
*Time mentioned by Time zone in Paraguay (GMT-4) Day 03 (21st Aug 2021) 00 am - 9.05 am Starting Day 03 - Greetings 05 am - 9.35 am Read & Fill 35 am - 10.20 am Presentations – Cultural differences between Sri Lanka and Paraguay 20 am - 10.35 am Inspirational Story 35 am-10.55 am Movie Master – Kahoot game 55 am - 11.00 am Song (Sinhala) 00 am – 11.05 am Closing Remarks