Together we are stronger. There are efforts all over the world to spark, inspire and sustain recruitment of women into STEM, and to dispel systemic sexism in the industry. Ada's Army is focused on bringing these efforts together, cross pollinating and amplifying impact. We are collaborating to augment programmes that exist and generate relevant projects that will promote celebration of Ada Lovelace and all the other women that patriarchal history overlooked.
We have put a call out online, using Twitter primarily to reach the world. We are enlisting the help of many people and using the hashtag #ADAsARMY. Within weeks we have started to reach an audience globally. It doesn't take long to start this army of good souls. The world is ready to do it and we are growing daily.
* News Flash * We are not just recruiting women, some of the world's greatest feminists are men.
Ada.Ada.Ada is our Trojan Horse. We have collaborated with some of the world's leading technologists, such as Charles Yarnold, to create the show, ADA.ADA.ADA.
This visual masterpiece is interactive and includes a stunning dress with 4,400 LED lights that are controlled by an electronic glove. The driving force behind the show isn't just to raise awareness about Ada's work, but to use her as an inspiration and role model for girls and women to enter STEM industries.
No one can resist the dress.
Critically acclaimed and appreciated by young and old audiences Ada.Ada.Ada has reached audiences in Ireland, UK, France, Norway, Belgium and Spain. It isn't limited to theatres. It is designed to be more accessible than that. It is being performed in businesses, conferences, libraries, schools, public spaces everywhere.
Through the story of Ada, audiences get a glimpse into the unique challenges and opportunities that we are going to encounter in the future. It gives people of all ages hope that, with a combination of creativity, innovation and technology, we can create a world of connected human experience where everyone can thrive.
There is a global tour in progress, franchising the one woman show into different regions. We are in discussion with governments, businesses and charitable organisations around the world to create versions of Ada.Ada.Ada in Swahili, French, Arabic and Norwegian for starters.
The show is our catalyst for change - everywhere Ada.Ada.Ada is we ignite the passion for sex equality. It can also provide the means to a more equal society via Ada's Army activities. We are partnering in multiple regions with leaders in businesses and in grassroots organisations such as She Codes for Change, Abella Bateyunga in Tanzania for our East Africa Ada.Ada.Ada.
Join up and serve in Ada's Army. Inspire, spark and sustain women's involvement by sharing the stories of the great women being overlooked. Bring Ada.Ada.Ada to your town, your region, your nation and get the stories started.
Ada's Army is all about engagement, it is the convergence of exciting programmes happening across the work and reaching more people. Think Gertrude Wilson gone digital, solving today's problems with her humane ideas. So Adas Army!
Hack-a-dress-athons with Raspberry Pi in Africa, USA, Canada, the UK. Competitions involving those who dress Hollywood stars (ethical ones) and so much more, so join up and make a difference.
Ada's Army is already well on the way to achieving great things. The ever growing list of people signed up to do their bit makes for impressive reading. This is just the beginning. Those who have come together to inspire and motivate us all include Zoe Philpott and Adrian Philpott who are both design entrepreneurs and co-creators of Ada.Ada.Ada. Martin Lucas, thought leader, thinkologist and humanitarian, and Susan Dolan, UK Google Expert. Susan is a Queen's young leaders mentor at Cambridge University, humanitarian and the first person outside of Google to figure out the PageRank algorithm. This was confirmed by Joel Ramos representing Eric Schmidt's NYC office in 2014. She is also a big influencer on Twitter and uses her media to make the world a better place. Susan is spearheading our use of Twitter to recruit far and wide - and amplify every story we share.
There are so many others with a story to tell, people who inspire and have brought energy and determination to Ada's Army. Leading ladies such as Amy Varle, who wrote the Varle Report - strategy to end homelessness with housing and support.
Another example, is that of Elizabeth Burton Phillip who has been through every mother's worst nightmare and now works to make sure no one else has to go through it again.
Elizabeth lost one of her twin sons, Nick, to heroin. That night when the police knocked on her door and heard the words all Mothers would dread, "Your son is dead", it changed Elizabeth and her family's life forever. In the darkness, Elizabeth with the help and support of Sarah Bromfield, who is the CEO of the DrugFAM organisation. They created a charity that supports the family and friends of alcohol and drug users. A journey which took her from the darkness of losing her son to helping numerous people and inspiring them to make change.
Elizabeth has visited and spoken in prisons, and broken down the stigma surrounding drug use. Elizabeth is an inspirational speaker, an author and now a playwright of "Mum, can you lend me twenty quid?"
Of course, not all feminists are women, and alongside the many courageous like Elizabeth who are already involved in Ada's Army are just as many men from every walk of life. Some of them you may have heard of before, others you may not, and some are those that have a family history of fighting for women's rights.
Terry Trueman, from Oregon in the US is one of the latter, being related to the famous Emmeline Pankhurst. Ada's Army is not his first involvement with women's rights though, an author and humanitarian, Terry has been fighting the good fight all his life.
There are so many amazing people involved with Ada's Army today, Dr LeeAnn Teal Rutkovsky, Sharon Slayton, Michelle Bauge, Sanda Rhoda Daniel, Hester Bais, Hibo Wardere, Sam Beckingsale, Angie Rivers, Bella Dures-Varle, Dorcas Kolashi, Kerry David that the list could go on forever. However, every single person who has got involved with the project already, whether mentioned here or not, is valued beyond words, and a big thank you goes goes out to every last one of them, you all know who you are.
But, that is just a start, Ada's Army will only succeed with your help, we need more support, more members and more awareness, and that is where you come in!
We have a lot to achieve by 2028. Together we can do it. Together we can accelerate our world towards sex equality. But it must be together.
You can be part of Ada's Army. Get in touch with us or simply start using the hashtag #AdasArmy today. Share your stories and experiences and make a difference, don't just watch history, be a part of making it.
Adapted Chapter by Zoe Philpott and Susan Dolan
Preparing For The World In 2028, A Project By The Problem Solving Squad
