MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

JuliaZumba.org

One-line solution summary.

JuliaZumba.org inspires girls everywhere to pursue STEM in fun, unexpected ways.

Elevator pitch

What is your solution?

JuliaZumba.org provides free Zumba Kids & STEM craft classes to encourage girls to pursue their passion for STEM.

At www.JuliaZumba.org:

- Girls can take free Zumba Kids & STEM craft classes from me, one of the youngest licensed instructors of Zumba dance fitness in the USA

- Girls can view interviews with female role models and female Zumba instructors who work in STEM fields.

- Girls can experience how STEM & Sport can be combined in fun ways

By combining my passions for Zumba and STEM, I hope to show young women everywhere that there are many ways they can pursue STEM fields.

www.JuliaZumba.org uses standard, web-based technology.

See:

Instagram LIVE: Zumba Chats with greenlight 4 girls Ambassador Coordinator, Julia Kerpel

ELEVATING YOUNG WOMEN. Highland Park's Julia Kerpel shares her passion for STEM and encourages young women to explore the industry.

page 12.

Julia Kerpel is the youngest Zumba instructor in Chicago. Below, she tells GL her story: How Zumba became such a big part of her life, and how it helped her and her community stay happy and healthy during the quarantine.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Problem: Females are consistently underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, education and math) studies and careers.

Scale: Females are affected by this problem globally.

How many are affected:

In USA, Women earned a majority of all degrees awarded but accounted for 53% of STEM bachelor degrees and 48% of STEM doctoral degrees in 2017-8.

Fry, Richard, et al. “Stem Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity.” Pew Research Center Science & Society,
Pew Research Center, 1 Apr. 2021, https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progress-in-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/.

Women made gains – from 8% of STEM workers in 1970 to 27% in 2019 – but
men still dominated the field. Men made up 52% of all U.S. workers but
73% of all STEM workers.

Bureau, U.S. Census. “Women Are Nearly Half of U.S. Workforce but Only 27% of STEM Workers.” Census.gov, 8 Oct. 2021, https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html.

Contributing Factors & Consequences:

Reasons include peer pressure, lack of role models and support from parents and teachers, and general misperception of what STEM careers look like in the real world. "The STEM Gap: Women And Girls In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics". AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881, 2022, https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/.

Consequences are detailed above.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Target population: girls throughout the world who have little to no access to STEM classes and/or support to pursue same

Solution addresses needs of target population:

I created JuliaZumba.org to address the needs below, which include those at The stem gap: Women and girls in Science, Technology, engineering and Mathematics:

Promote public awareness about how to encourage female relatives in STEM fields by supporting learning opportunities and providing positive messages about their abilities.
Emphasize that girls are capable, especially when given encouragement and educational opportunities.
Demonstrate to girls that STEM is fun and exciting by introducing them to unexpected STEM projects
Provide examples of strong, successful role models in STEM fields
Inspire girls to pursue their STEM passions and support their skills and confidence to succeed in math and science.
Fundraise for nonprofit entities that support and encourage girls to pursue studies and careers in STEM fields

--------

"The STEM Gap: Women And Girls In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics". AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881, 2022, https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was volunteer-teaching Zumba Kids through Working Together, a a nonprofit that assists low- income families in our area. When Illinois schools shut down in March 2020, I wanted to teach Zumba Kids online with a STEM project to help kids keep their minds and bodies active. I created JuliaZumba.org,so I could teach free virtual Zumba and encourage, fundraise, and support Girls in STEM.

Previous and new students participate in classes on JuliaZumba.org .

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Improving learning opportunities and outcomes for learners across their lifetimes, from early childhood on (Learning)

Our solution's stage of development:

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

Girls continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields. COVID-19 has further negatively impacted girls' access to STEM studies and related activities. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, under-representation of girls in STEM will remain. I currently provide virtual classes to support and encourage young women to pursue STEM studies and careers. When the COVID-19 pandemic ends, I will continue teaching online and resume teaching Zumba in person. I will expand my efforts in support of girls in STEM through participating in local, national and international events. I will continue to fundraise both online and in person in support of girls in STEM. I look forward to the end of the pandemic.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Highland Park, IL, USA

Team Lead:

Julia Kerpel

More About Your Solution

If your solution has a website or an app, provide the link(s) here:

juliazumba.org

If you have additional video content that explains your solution, provide a YouTube or Vimeo link here:

https://youtu.be/SN_hKcrImrs

Which of the following categories best describes your solution?

A new project or business that relies on technology to be successful

Describe the core technology that powers your solution.

I use existing technology to create a website and live stream my Zumba classes:

hardware: laptop and desktop devices
software: website design programs; streaming programs
social media: to share the website
music streaming/playback
craft projects that incorporate STEM ideas

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Audiovisual Media
Crowd Sourced Service / Social Networks
Software and Mobile Applications
Other

In which countries do you currently operate?

United States

How many people does your solution currently serve, and how many do you plan to serve in the next year? If you haven’t yet launched your solution, tell us how many people you plan to serve in the next year.

Current people served: 100

Estimated people serving in one year: 200

What are your impact goals for the next year, and how will you achieve them?

Goal: I want to to encourage girls throughout the world to pursue STEM by having them experience STEM in fun, unexpected ways.

How I plan to achieve the goal: I will continue teaching online and will resume teaching Zumba Kids and STEM craft classes in person when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. I will expand my efforts in support of girls in STEM through participating in local, national and international events. I will continue to fundraise both online and in person in support of girls in STEM.

Impact to date: Kids, parents and teachers have sent messages of appreciation, photos of them taking my classes and the STEM crafts they made during my virtual class, and their sincere gratitude for providing a stimulating activity during this challenging time.

How are you measuring your progress or planning to measure your progress toward your impact goals?

My online Zumba Kids classes have had success in the following UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

GOAL 4: Quality Education

GOAL 5: Gender Equality

I offered classes for free to help girls keep their bodies and minds active during lockdown, and to give parents a break! Every week, I would post a class on social media with a unique theme and STEM craft to go along with it – themes like showtunes, girl power, and Math and Statistics Awareness Month. I hoped to show girls they could learn and have fun at the same time.

I continue to teach Zumba online with a STEM craft and focus on
supporting organizations that promote girls in STEM. As a result of my
work, I became an Ambassador for the international non-profit www.greenlightforgirls.org. Based in Belgium, greenlight for girls encourages young women everywhere to pursue STEM. In January 2021, I was appointed Ambassador Coordinator. In this role, I manage projects for greenlight for girls ambassadors worldwide who work with girls in their communities to study STEM.

I will continue my efforts even after the pandemic is over.

What barriers currently exist for you to accomplish your goals in the next year?

Barriers include:

legal implications of using copyrighted songs
participants' access to my online classes (ie hardware for viewing and materials for crafts)
cultural implications of girls pursuing STEM in their communities worldwide

About Your Team

Your Business Model & Resources