Robogals is an international non-profit organisation, run primarily by university student volunteers, that aims to get more girls engaged in engineering and technology from a young age. Currently, only 9.6% of engineers in Australia are women. Our primary activity is visiting schools to conduct fun, educational robotics workshops that capture girls' interest and introduce 'engineering' into their vocabulary before they make their subject choices in the later years of high school, and their decisions about what to study at uni. Robogals has reached 5,000 girls since our inception in 2008.

The Robogals Global Future Leaders Program aims to seek out and equip the next generation of Robogals' leadership.

You don't need experience in this field, all we want are some smart and motivated people, and we’ll teach you what you need to know! Any current student is welcome - from first-year to postgrad.

You'll attend a weekend away in the Victorian countryside on 11-12 August with Marita Cheng, 2012 Young Australian of the Year and founder of Robogals, together with other senior members of the Robogals Global team. After a crash-course retreat, you'll continue to learn and develop in these skills by taking on a management role in Robogals Global, and through continued mentoring and training. You'll learn about:

1. Promoting engineering
a) How is the possibility of a career in engineering communicated in a way that inspires kids? b) Specific strategies that engage girls in these topics. c) The basics of LEGO NXT robotics.

2. Organisational skills
a) How Robogals runs an organisation with 20 chapters across Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Ireland and Japan entirely using student volunteers. b) How did we get from nothing 4 years ago, to teaching our 5,000th girl last month? and being internationally recognised in this field by the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology’s “Change Agent” award? c) Project management. d) Personal organisational skills and time management. e) Communicating effectively and working as a team

3. The specifics of Robogals' programs
Robotics workshops, career talks, rural and regional programmes, and the Robogals Science Challenge

Apply now!
The program is open to both sexes, although according to Robogals’ constitution at least two-thirds of our executive committee must be female. Also, over 85% of Robogals members are engineering or IT students, but students from any faculty can join. So, in short: anyone can apply, including you!

Apply by 6 August** by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a cover letter stating what you hope to get out of your Robogals experience and your motivations for wanting to join, and optionally attach your CV. Don’t hesitate to email with any questions.
** Note added 6 Aug: we will accept late applications because some people only recently heard about the program, but please hurry because we have already started interviews

If you would like to join the Robogals Global team but can’t attend the weekend retreat, please get in touch anyway.

Q&A
Any questions received via email will also be answered here for others' benefit.

Q: Is there a cost to attend the weekend retreat, where is it and how do we get there?
A: There is no cost. Search Google Maps for "Strath Creek VIC 3658" to see the rough location. We will drive you there from uni on the Friday evening and back on Sunday evening. Applicants who are accepted will be provided the full address and landline phone number, prior to departing, to provide to your parents if necessary.

Q: Who should the cover letter be addressed to?
A: It doesn't really matter, because there will be more than one person reading the applications. If you really want to address it to someone, just put Marita Cheng :)