SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A local program teaching young girls about drone technology has gone global.
ABC 10News did a story first Our Genetic Legacy’s Drone Project in 2022. The program is aimed at ethnic minority girls interested in the STEM field.
Recently, the group took a trip to Accra, Ghana, to trace the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
“We learned so much about our history and it was an amazing experience,” Shyanne Smith said.
Smith is one of twenty girls who went on the ten-day trip.
The group also included girls from IMAGINATIONa local mentoring and leadership program for girls of color;
In Ghana, the girls were able to use skills learned during the drone program to map and record historical sites related to the transatlantic slave trade.
“I wanted to show that we can take this technology, this tool and go to Africa to include our voices in historical narratives and the voices of many who have been silenced,” said Founder and CEO Shellie Baxter.
The girls also visited museums and “slave castles” where slaves were held before boarding the ships.
They describe the experience as impressive and melancholic but powerful.
“I felt really strong being black because they went through all that, and we still emerged as a people,” Smith said.
The group also partnered with Ghana Girl Guide to teach Ghanaian girls about drone technology.
“They saw how we put everything together and even how to configure the drone before it went to take off,” said Trinity Ansley.
The girls said bonding with the Ghanaian girls was also a highlight of the trip.
“They were showing us a hand game that they play all the time, and we were trying to figure out how to play it. It was extremely difficult,” Smith said.
In the end, the girls said they left with a new perspective on the story and how technology can be used to tell it.
“I was like, wow, this is something you can actually do around the world and get girls in STEM doing something they love, and you can make money from it,” said Nilaja Nettles, who is a member of FANCY.
Genetic Legacy partnered with FANCY and the Elementary Institute of Science to make the trip to Ghana possible.
They will present the data collected during the trip to the Elementary Institute of Science on January 27. To watch the presentation, Click here.
This year, Our Genetic Legacy wants to take the girls to London. The non-profit organization is seeking corporate and private sponsors.