PyLadies Ghana Ho Meetup 2024: A Chapter Revival

On Saturday, July 27th, 2024, the PyLadies Ghana team traveled to Ho in the Volta Region for an exciting event aimed at revitalizing the PyLadies Ghana Ho regional chapter. The meetup, dubbed "PyLadies Ghana Ho Reloaded," was held at Node Eight Hub and brought together women in tech from the region.

Event Highlights

The event began at 10:30 AM with an introduction and icebreaker session, setting a warm and welcoming tone for the day. Theresa Seyram Agbenyegah, the Lead for PyLadies Programs and Events, gave a comprehensive presentation on PyLadies Ghana, including its mission, past activities, leadership team, and the rationale behind relaunching PyLadies Ho. She also shared a sneak peek into the chapter's future events and initiatives.

Following this, Kafui Kwasi Alordo, the Lead of Python Ho, provided an overview of their achievements and future plans. The focus was on creating a sense of community and belonging, especially since many participants were beginners or at an intermediate level in their Python journey.

Attendance

PyLadies Ghana Team 2

Python Ho Team 1

Participants 15

Total = 18

Tutorial Sessions

The tutorial sessions were highlights of the meetup, featuring beginner-friendly content led by Theresa Seyram Agbenyegah.

Command Line Interface (CLI):

Theresa introduced the Command Line Interface, discussing its benefits, uses, and both pros and cons. Participants got hands-on experience by running several CLI commands, helping them gain practical skills and a deeper understanding.

Introduction to Python - Python 101:

The Python session began with an introduction to the language's history and core concepts, such as variables. Theresa explained the significance of variables, providing examples and comparing their use in Python with other languages like Java, JavaScript, and C++. Participants practiced coding in both interactive terminal mode and Visual Studio Code (VSCode), making the learning experience dynamic and engaging.

Primitive Types and Data Structures:

The session also covered primitive types in Python, such as integers, booleans, strings, and floats, along with various data structures like lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sets. Participants learned about their use cases and practiced writing code to solidify their understanding.

Control Flow

Theresa introduced control flow concepts, including conditional statements (if, elif, else), loops (for, while), and the use of control flows to manage the execution of code blocks. This session provided a foundational understanding of how to direct program flow in Python.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

The session covered the basics of OOP, explaining its principles like inheritance and polymorphism. This was an introductory look into OOP, setting the stage for more advanced learning.

Functions, Exceptions, and Testing:

Participants learned about defining functions, differentiating between functions that perform tasks and those that return values. The session also covered exception handling and the importance of testing, including an introduction to testing frameworks like Pytest and unittest. Practical exercises helped participants grasp these critical concepts.

Conclusion

The event concluded with a Q&A session, group photos, and networking opportunities. It was an insightful experience that reinforced the sense of community among the participants. PyLadies Ghana continues to empower tech enthusiasts, particularly women, by fostering a supportive environment to learn and appreciate Python. Our movement has been pivotal in connecting women across the country, and we look forward to hosting more such enriching experiences in the future.