Building the STEM Sisterhood with Our Mentor Community Hangout
“Everything you want in life is a relationship away.”
― Idowu Koyenikan
There’s always a special place in my heart for community activities. Finding kindred spirits who share the same passion is incredibly empowering, and that’s what Mentor Community Hangout powered by Generation Girl aims to do.
Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, Generation Girl has been shifting our in-person 5-day boot camp (called the Holiday Club) to a more accessible online version. While this provides Gen G with the opportunity to widen our impact across Indonesia, some downsides follow, one of them being the lower rate of mentor engagement and networking sessions. Being one of Generation Girl’s mentors on many occasions in the past before transitioning to my current role, this change was most apparent to me. This is why I decided that it’s time to initiate a mentor community — where mentors can connect, develop lasting bonds, and empower each other to grow.
The Generation Girl Mentor Community hangout on May 4th, 2024 is the first in-person event dedicated to mentors. We gather in a relaxing get-together where we can relax and paint coasters together. Why painting, Astrid? Well, it’s simple: for the very first event, we want to provide a comfortable space where we can relax — away from our busy days of work; to connect and engage with like-minded minds.
Breaking the Ice
We began the day with ice-breakers to get to know each other, starting with the classic introduction session and continuing with a playful round of the ‘Guess Who?’ game. The classic introduction was simple: we took turns introducing ourselves: name, occupation, and a fun fact about ourselves.
The “Guess Who?” game session was a bit more challenging: we were asked to draw something simple on our mobile (a star, an emoji, a flower, basically everything goes) and write our nickname on it. This would be our “logo”. After that, we are given the time to introduce ourselves using our logo and try to remember others' logos, as many as possible. Now this is where it gets busy!
We got up from our seats and started approaching each other. Cheerful tones and laughter filled out the room — as some of us realized we had similar logos & tried to compromise on how to differentiate each other’s (3 mentors had a star as their logo, and they decided that one would be a yellow star, one blue star, and one a shining star 🌟). When the real game began, we asked who would like to go first to describe as many people as possible in a given time. Many raised their hands in a hurry, “Let me do it before I forget!” one said, and we all laughed in agreement. In the end, three people managed to mention almost everyone in the room. I think the ice-breaker has served its purpose wonderfully, right? 😝
May the colors be with you (pun intended)
The painting session began, and almost everyone in the room reached for the search bar on their mobile: “coaster painting inspiration”, then enter. Some decided to ad-lib and just go with the flow, letting their brush decide. The music was playing and some got serious, though some managed to paint while engaging in light conversation about their daily activities, jobs, or the painting itself.
When the painting session was almost over, I went around the room in a make-believe interviewer mode to ask each mentor what were they painting, and why they decided to paint it. Some would share their keen interest in the object they painted, “I like this flower called Lily of the Valley, and I like rabbits, that’s why I decided to paint them.”. And then some, “Well, I’m winging it.” or “I scrolled through and think that this looks good and easy enough to paint.”, ringing laughter and a sense of camaraderie from those with the same thoughts. All in all, everyone had fun and that’s what mattered the most! 💗
We wrapped the hangout with a mini award for the winner in previous ice-breakings and as always, a photoshoot session to close the day 📸
As I watched our mentors laughing, connecting, and painting, I felt a surge of gratitude and optimism. This hangout was a reminder that change happens through meaningful connection. This mentor community hangout was just the beginning, and I’m excited to see how these connections will continue to grow and inspire our mission at Generation Girl ✨
