Organizations that empower the dreams of girls toward technology
The STEAM world, for its acronym in English Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics, is gaining more and more momentum at an international level, to inspire girls and young women to choose these areas of knowledge.
María Claudia Londoño D
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And it is that many organizations, including UN Women, determined the motto for 2023, "For an inclusive digital world: Innovation and technology for gender equality".
Read more content like this at: thewomanpost.com
"…Incorporating women, as well as those traditionally marginalized groups, into technology allows for more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet the needs of women and promote gender equality. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes at a huge cost. According to the UN Women's Gender Snapshot 2022 report, the exclusion of women from the digital world has slashed $1 trillion from the gross domestic product in low- and middle-income countries over the past decade, a loss that will rise to 1.5 trillion dollars in 2025 if no action is taken. To reverse this trend, it will be necessary to address the problem of online violence, which, according to a study carried out in 51 countries, 38% of women have suffered personally" …
To close this gap, various communities, NGOs, and groups have taken effective actions to inspire and empower more and more girls and young women to decide on a STEAM career, and thus be able to count on an increasing number of women scientists, aerospace engineers, agronomists, veterinarians, digital illustrators, environmental, civil or industrial engineers, mathematicians, artists in plastic, musical, medical expressions and other related professions and in many of them strengthen their dreams, illusions, and aspirations.
We will list some organizations whose central goal and objective, temporary or permanent, has been to have more girls in STEAM:
ITU (International Communication Union) based in Geneva, annually, for 12 years, in April celebrates the International Day of Girls in Technology (Girls in ICT-Information and communication technology Day) worldwide. This year it will take place on April 27 and the venue will be Zimbabwe, with the motto "Digital Skills for Life", with which they encourage universities, institutions, foundations, and initiatives to carry out various activities in programming, robotics, code, and others, to generate interest among the participating girls and young women in opting for these professions. More info https://www.itu.int/women-and-girls/girls-in-ict/
Girls who code. Its founder, Reshma Saujani, has promoted this approach since 2010, providing tools, workshops, and activities in favor of closing the gender gap in the areas of technology and engineering. On her page, you can also find Girls Who Code Girls, .. ” a gaming experience that empowers users to code characters that better reflect them and the diversity of their communities. Users can use code to customize their character’s body type, skin tone, facial features, hairstyles, outfit details and accessories, personality, and identity details” … more at https://girlswhocode.com/
Womcy. Its focus lies in training more women in cybersecurity. In addition to its meeting events, conferences, and training, Womcy makes alliances with providers of the IT security segment, such as Cisco, Fortinet, Microsoft, and Check Point, to link more and more young women in the sector. Your activities at https://womcy.org/
Anita.B. wants to amplify the voices of women who want to be part of the world of technology, and who are looking for more opportunities for education, training, and participation in the IT industry. In such a way that it articulates with people, institutions, organizations, and academia to achieve its purpose. Details at https://anitab.org/
Girls in Tech. Based in Spain, they promote attendance at events in this country and others, to demonstrate with their large attendance that the world of technology is also an opportunity for women and thus create a community with more and more members. More details at https://spain.girlsintech.org/#blog
Girls 4 Science, based in Chicago, United States, is focused on girls between the ages of 10 and 18 to be part of camps where they immerse themselves in the STEAM world. Other details of your proposal at https://girls4science.org/
Hypatia is a project financed by the European Commission, aimed at educational institutions adopting and implementing curricular and extracurricular activities with elements that encourage girls between 13 and 18 years old so that when they leave school, they decide to pursue university degrees. related to science and technology.
Inspiring Girls. It was born in the United Kingdom and promoted by the lawyer Miriam González Durántez, holding meetings with girls in schools, where they can listen and share with a Role Model, a professional whose career has been highlighted in the STEAM world and who with her words motivates girls to belong to this exciting world. https://inspiringgirlsusa.org/
STEM Talent Girl. She has 3 programs:
• Science for Her
• Mentor Women
• Real Work
In this way, they close the cycle, opening job opportunities to women who have decided to obtain a degree in STEAM careers. More information https://talent-girl.com/
Laboratoria. Her method encompasses five stages: Identify talents in women; world-class training; relationship building and employment opportunities; promote the community of graduates and cultivate a team with skills in this field. His trajectory of impact is visualized in the achievement of jobs for women as a Front-end Developer, UX Designer, Scrum master, Project manager, Agile coach, Android developer, Service Designer, Back-end developer, Full Stack developer, UI Developer, UX Researcher, UX Writer. Read more about Laboratoria at https://www.laboratoria.la/
Geek Girls Latam. An NGO based in Colombia, with an impact in several Latin American countries, carries out activities and alliances to train girls in vulnerable populations so that they have access to STEAM training and can give free rein to their aspirations in this field. More information at https://geekgirlslatam.org/
ITAM4her. Project developed within the Technological Institute of Mexico, to close the gender gap in the IT industry, directing students toward their personal and professional projection, so that they identify their path to follow.
Women Rock IT. The Cisco company launches to develop interactive sessions with Women who have made their career from their training in STEAM professions in a successful trajectory, as an inspiration to girls and young women. Additionally, the Cisco Networking Academy is available to access courses in Python Programming, Introduction to Cybersecurity, Introduction to the Internet of Things, Linux Essentials, and Entrepreneurship.
Women onIT. They hold events, talks, boot camps, hack shows, and others, to encourage the participation and training of young women, who acquire the experience of their peers in these fields to strengthen their life projects. Read more at https://mujeresonit.org/
Fortunately, more and more organizations are taking place, and events, conferences, and meetings are held that are strengthening a community of women in the industry and related careers with the STEAM orientation.
If you know of a young woman who is interested in programming, engineering, digital design, digital art or music, or video games, encourage her to be part of one of these organizations!
