ENEREADY KIDS FOR THE FUTURE: ENEReady program participants head to the DOE laboratories to learn about the different scientific testing activities being conducted by the DOE. ENEReady encourages young Filipinos to pursue energy-related career paths in the future.

TAGUIG CITY - The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Consumer Welfare and Promotion Office, held the third ENEReady Program for the year with the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) on 11 July at the Energy Center in Bonifacio Global City.

The “Breaking Gender Stereotypes in the Energy Workforce” aimed to encourage the girl scouts to consider a career in the energy sector, which is generally associated with men.

Participants included 38 Grade 10 GSP students from the J. Nolasco, Lakan Dula, V. Mapa, and M. Araullo High Schools, as well as troupe leaders and officers from the GSP Headquarters.

EMPOWERING WOMEN

Discussions revolved around the concept of “gender stereotyping”, and how often it is unknowingly ingrained by elders into the minds of young children.

Gender stereotyping happens when pre-conceived ideas on the roles, attributes, behavior or activities of individuals based on their gender are established. These include the expectation that girls should play with dolls, while boys are to play with toy trucks. It may also include over-generalized statements such as “Engineering is a course for boys,” or “Girls shouldn’t be rough.”

PRACTICAL AND SHARING ACTIVITIES

A female board topnotcher and electrical engineer from the Manila Electric Company simulated the Power Supply Chain through a fun role-playing game called “The Sushi Challenge”.

Students were grouped into sushi producer/suppliers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers to give them an overview of how electricity is produced from its generation to consumption.

Male and female speakers from different disciplines of engineering also shared the experiences and challenges they encounter. These include withstanding different odors as animal and plant residues are converted to electricity, climbing mountains, exploring and drilling wells, as well as rigorous controlled trainings on the emergency procedures for reacting to and surviving a helicopter ditching into the sea.

To serve as inspiration for the participants to pursue courses in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM), the workshop also featured success stories of Filipino women in these fields.

MEASURING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The culminating activity was a tour of the DOE’s Lightning and Appliance Testing Laboratory, where the children witnessed how energy efficiency is measured by the DOE personnel.

The workshop on Wednesday is the 13th ENEReady program held since its launch in 2016 and has reached out to more than 2,000 students to date.

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