乌鸦传媒

How would you describe working in tech? Daunting鈥� confusing鈥� mysterious?

According to Monika Goly, business transformation manager working at 乌鸦传媒 in Katowice, many young girls in Poland view the technology sector in exactly these terms. 鈥淲e wanted to change these sentiments and help close the gender gap in the IT workforce,鈥� says Monika. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we started the IT Girls Revolution Academy.鈥�

But just one question: how can you change people鈥檚 opinion towards IT, when you don鈥檛 have a background in the subject area? 

Broadening personal horizons  

Monika started her career with 乌鸦传媒 16 years ago, working as an accountant in the general ledger. More recently, she moved into the role of business transformation consultant, supporting clients to improve their businesses in the area of shared services.

A few years ago, Monika found herself drawn towards the idea of volunteering 鈥� an activity that many 乌鸦传媒 colleagues participate in. 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 flagship volunteering program is Impact Together Month, when colleagues come together and contribute towards causes that help shape positive futures. In October 2022, the program engaged more than 11,000 colleagues across 27 countries, supporting 220 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and impacting the lives of 22,600 individuals.

Monika decided to join the Women@乌鸦传媒 group. Open to all genders, the employee network group connects and empowers women across 乌鸦传媒 to realize their full potential.

鈥淚’m part of the Business Services team, but in that group I met lots of fascinating people from different business units, and quickly realized what could be achieved when we work together for a good purpose,鈥� she says.

What really caught her imagination, however, was a suggestion by the community leader about starting an initiative to help young women enter the world of IT, capitalizing on the annual 乌鸦传媒 grant program in Poland.

A journey of discovery

Although Monika did not have a background in IT, this was, arguably, the perfect position from which to help organize such a scheme. 鈥淚鈥檝e really enjoyed my career with 乌鸦传媒, but I鈥檇 be the first to admit that I鈥檓 not a techie,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, in some respects, IT was something of a mystery to me, too. This actually helped me to understand the perspectives of young people who found the subject confusing.鈥�

What emerged from this spark of inspiration was the IT Girls Revolution Academy (ITGra) in 2019. Run solely by 乌鸦传媒 volunteers, the academy offers IT coaching and mentoring to schoolgirls and young women in Poland. The scheme is currently in its fourth year, and now operates in all of the eight cities in Poland where 乌鸦传媒 has offices.

On a practical level, Monika was able to use her excellent administrative and organizational skills to make a material difference. 鈥淚nitially, I wondered how I could contribute. But I soon managed to find my place. I particularly love organizing 鈥� it鈥檚 something I find really satisfying 鈥� and I鈥檝e been able to offer this to the scheme, as well as acting as a mentor for the young ladies.鈥�

IT diamonds are forever 

鈥淭here are two main stages to the scheme,鈥� explains Monika. 鈥淔irst, the students attend training seminars run by 乌鸦传媒 volunteers, which cover a range of IT topics on everything from project management and presentation skills, to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.鈥�

The second stage of the program is a competition called 鈥淚T Diamonds.鈥� 鈥淭his is a tech project simulation in which the students use the knowledge they鈥檝e gained in the seminars to respond to a 鈥榗lient brief,鈥� such as a request to build a new website,鈥� says Monika.
In the current phase, 100 participants from 13 schools are involved in the program, and Monika hopes to expand the initiative as 乌鸦传媒 grows within Poland, and possibly even to other countries.

Daring girls to dream big

For Monika, the ITGra initiative has a number of important goals. 鈥淔undamentally, we want to encourage more young women to join the IT sector and close the gender gap in the IT workforce. Although perceptions about the industry are certainly changing for the better, there is still a strong bias towards men. This program aims to demystify IT to make it less intimidating, and to introduce girls to professional women who have successful careers in the industry, who act as mentors and role models.鈥�

So far, Monika and her colleagues have received excellent feedback from the participants and the schools involved. 鈥淭he teachers we鈥檝e spoken to always want us to come back because they see how the girls benefit from the scheme, in terms of their confidence and their understanding of the workplace,鈥� she says.

Rewarding and inspiring  

According to Monika, volunteering has been a great opportunity to challenge herself and develop her own skills. 鈥淚 would really encourage everyone to consider volunteering because it鈥檚 very rewarding to give something back. Also, it offers a safe environment for you to practice being a teacher or a mentor.鈥�

In Monika鈥檚 opinion, this project closely aligns with 乌鸦传媒鈥檚 organizational values, for example, by encouraging young girls to be bold in choosing a future in IT, and giving them more freedom to determine their own careers. A pretty impressive outcome for someone who doesn鈥檛 have a background in technology. As Monika concludes: 鈥淢y journey with ITGra has highlighted the fact that, at 乌鸦传媒, there鈥檚 always a space for doing something extraordinary.鈥�