Preparing young girls with the skills to succeed in STEAM

Chicas en Tecnología - CET- aims to reduce the gender gap in technology in Argentina and in the world. For that purpose we promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) skills training both educators and young girls no matter where they are. Through an e-learning platform that combines the best online opportunities we will develop CLUBS CET. It is a program aimed at girls from 13 to 17 implemented in educational institutions, led by their educators with the support of CET, which involves the spiraling approach of five central axes: Identification of problems; Ideation of solutions; Programming; Prototyping and Design; Communication and Marketing, articulating school knowledge and skills of the technological entrepreneurial world. The e-learning platform will be the only free online program in LATAM oriented to build educators capacity and promote girls to learn technical skills that directly affect their professional development.  

Women are underrepresented in STEAM. According to UNESCO 2017 Cracking the code, within the female student population in higher education globally, only around 30% choose STEM-related fields. In Argentina is similar, a study by Chicas En Tecnología + INTAL IDB, shows that today they are only 33% of women in STEM-related careers. These differences are not natural, but cultural. One of the factors that impacts the decision of young women to study technological careers is the participation in experiences related to Science and Technology, both at school and outside of it. In 2017 Chicas en Tecnologia made the report "The voices of the protagonists" from surveys of adolescent girls who participated in their programs and one the results revealed that for 75% of the respondents the option "I am good at doing this" influences their choice for a professional career. This phrase reflects the importance of inspiring adolescents to take an interest in these careers and to offer them training spaces with scientific-technological content to "prove" their abilities in these areas. Unfortunately, Schools across the country are struggling to deal with the growing prevalence of the technology and no actions are being taken to exploring technological forms of pedagogy.

CET serves Adolescent girls from 13 to 17 years old in Argentina who are in a decisive stage to develop vocational interests and discover the possible academic and professional options that they have available. Currently 80% of them come from public schools, 20% private schools. The focus is on diversity and the problem of the gender gap in the technological entrepreneurial sector that affects all social sectors.

Since 2015 CET promotes female adolescents to consider technology as an ally to fulfill different purposes and to understand technology as an expressive medium to a possible solution to various problems in their communities. Through different free and open programs and initiatives like CLUBS, CET transforms stereotypes and impacts local and national communities, involving schools, universities, NGOs, companies, governments and other stakeholders. 

As part of the Initiatives, CET accompanies all actions with a cross-section of research that generates unpublished databases, contents, reports, surveys and studies in order to create solutions tailored to the problem: understanding the need for the integration of STEAM with gender perspective in the education system: The solution we present now is the possibility of carrying out CLUBS CET at schools completely remotely through CET e-learning platform.

The e-learning Platform for Clubs CET is an innovative solution for formal and non-formal educational institutions in Argentina, and scaling to LATAM, to motivate and train the next generation of girls as technology innovators. 

The idea is to develop a virtual space of creation and innovation within the schools, and especially aimed at young women. Through the e-learning platform, the proposal of Clubs CET includes modifying the organization of traditional classroom work. It Involves didactic, interpersonal knowledge, work organization, design thinking, user experience, programming, logical thinking and effective communication. Innovation in the school is carried out by the school educator with the support of CET team, and for that CET created instances and training materials that guide them throughout the whole experience.

The solution is an adaptive Moodle Platform with open source and based on PHP+MySQL with three main characteristics: 

1) The platform interface has been elaborated ad hoc generating a friendly, simple, intuitive platform. The design is mobile-first, thinking about the target audience with inclusive language. The spaces set up for Clubs were based on axes and the communication is close and fresh. Technology used: Boostrap 4, HTML5 and CSS. 

2) The platform was designed with 3 large modeling spaces:

- The clubs: designed as spaces for learning and accompaniment of blended modality. Reusable for other formats.

- Webinars: as short exchange and learning spaces with small activities, recourses and streaming audio or video instance embedded.

- Community: space to share with graduates of clubs, with job opportunities, events and other publications of interest

3) The platform has 3 transversal spaces:

 - Mentors: Meeting space with referents to talk in forums

- Solutions: Consultation space with thematic forums

- APPS Bank: List of applications created by girls.

On the other hand the implementation of the Platform for Clubs includes two main stages:

1-Educators training in the use of the e-learning platform and acquisition of STEAM  tools:

• Transmission of data regarding gender gap in technology

• Programing and design with social impact

• Methodologies from the Tech- entrepreneur ecosystem

• Creation of a proposal with technology to help solving a social issue. 

• Creation of educational digital material

• Promotion of interest in STEAM related-careers in young girls

2- Clubs implementation in schools led by their educators through the e-learning platform and following key axes:

Identification of problems in their communities (Research and use of data)

Identify users and devise solutions

Programming

Prototyping and Design

Validation, Communication and Marketing

CET has created its own e-learning platform to deliver CLUBS in Argentina but which can scale globally. This is the first e-learning platform in Spanish to be implemented in educational institutions by its educators, focusing on girls at a young age so that wherever they are, with their own technology they can create solutions with social impact. 

Since the first club in 2017 until the end of 2018 More than 700 girls have already gone through CET Clubs and more than 100 prototypes of social impact apps have been created by them. The solution we propose through the e-learning platform is a much more effective process of Clubs CET by applying existing technology but personalizing it according to CET methodology and experience. This will allow CET to have more and better impact reaching the target population in Argentina and scaling to LATAM.

The solution It is a comprehensive high quality program which involves programming with social impact, digital design as an expressive tool, entrepreneurship as an axis of economic growth and employability, collaborative leadership as a creative power, education with technologies such as the code to learn life skills. 

Also, through the e-learning platform CET not only generates impact, but also measures, evaluates, investigates and can communicate results to favor the debate of the problem in the agendas with data and quality content. 

CET program does not compete, it coexists with what exists and the idea is to strengthen it through alliances with the public, private and civil society sectors.

The e-learning platform to deliver CLUBS CET in educational institutions is the application of existing technology but adaptive to the Argentine context and needs in accordance to CET experience and methodology, and able to scale to LATAM. The e-learning platform relies completely on technology and, at the same time, promotes the inclusion of easy-to-use technology for the traditional education system in Argentina. 

It is a Moodle PLATFORM with open source and based on PHP+MySQL. The technology used is Boostrap 4, HTML5 and CSS. 

Through the e-learning platform, Clubs CET include a first stage of educators’ training on how to introduce STEAM concepts into the classroom with gender perspective, and following stages to deliver they themselves the clubs to girls. 

CET has already been developing Clubs in educational institutions since 2017, face to face and through zoom webinars. The introduction of the e-learning platform will accompany this cultural transformation while at the same time being part of the transformation itself.

Through the e-learning Platform, no matter where they are and with no cost Educators incorporate technological and didactic tools to apply STEAM with a gender perspective in the classroom.  

The innovative pedagogical proposals delivered through the e-learning Platform can be inserted in the educational practices of each institution, leaving installed capacity in educators and the possibility of replicating. 

Formative actions are imminent for educators from formal and non-formal educational institutions that focus on STEAM education in the classroom and with a gender perspective so that girls learn in an integrated way, connecting concepts from different disciplines.

Adolescent girls acquire programming knowledge through the development of a Viable Minimum Product: the prototype of a mobile app that solves a socio-community problem posed by the young people themselves. The aim is that the students learn about the diverse roles and functions involved in the technology working environment, and recognize their potential to occupy them.

In 2017 Girls in Technology made the report "The voices of the protagonists" from surveys of adolescent girls who participated in their programs and one of the results  revealed that for 75% of the the girls, the option "I am good at doing this" influences their choice for a professional career. This phrase reflects the importance of having close role models that inspire adolescents to take an interest in these careers and to have the possibility of going through programs and proposals from training spaces with scientific-technological content, which will allow them to "prove" their abilities in these areas.

The program Clubs CET since 2017 to the end of 2018 has reached 700 girls through face to face implementation and adding virtual activities through Zoom webinars, reaching 14 provinces of Argentina and 54 cities. Those beneficiaries are now part of CET Community a a program that accompanies the young girls graduated from Clubs to enhance their projects and themselves in the professional path they want to build. During 2019, and with the first implementation of the e-learning platform as a pilot testing, CET is developing 54 Clubs which will impact on 600 girls and 60 educators. In 5 years the expectation is at least 3000 and 300 educators who have gone through Club experience.

- 57 educational institutions have implemented Clubs CET through the e-learning platform. -60 Educators who participated in Clubs CET  incorporated technological and didactic tools to create more and new pedagogical projects based on concepts of entrepreneurship and technology.

- 600 Girls who participated in Clubs CET  acquired programming skills through the development of a Viable Minimum Product: the prototype of a mobile app that solves a socio-community problem raised by the young girls themselves.

-600 students who learnt the diverse roles and functions involved in the technology working environment, and recognized their potential to occupy them.

 -A community created with all Club participants (both educators and students form 2019 and previous years) to exchange and continue to enrich their practices and projects.

-Information systematized to develop and publish a report with the purpose of generating knowledge and impact in the current scenario of digital transformation in the areas of education, economy and culture with a focus on gender and diversity.

 In five years, through the adaptive e-learning platform we expect to reach more countries in LATAM and offering diverse opportunities, making alliances and promoting a systemic change with the public and private sector along with the communities they operate in.

Risk 1: Political conjuncture (election period and changes of the referents with whom we were working and making alliances) Mitigating actions: Advocacy and foreseeing

Risk 2: Public schools strikes that delay the school calendar. Mitigating actions: Through the e-learning platform the clubs can be re-commenced at any stage

Risk 3: Lack of inputs in educational spaces (lack of internet connectivity) and infrastructure (gas, electricity) that prevent the course of classes. Mitigating actions: Foreseeing public or private financial support 

Risk 4: Change of school teachers (sometimes they compete at the middle of the year and they change establishments). Mitigating actions: Teachers at any stage will be able to acquire CET Methodology and promote it. 

Risk 5: Inflation rates and lack of funds. Mitigating actions: Diversification of the funding sources. Currently CET receives fund from private, public and international entities. We will continue expanding your resource pool in order to maintain stability no matter the country financial situation.

Risk 1: Mitigating actions: Advocacy and foreseeing: CET has already bridging alliances with non partisan interests. 

Risk 2: Mitigating actions: Through the e-learning platform the clubs can be re-commenced at any stage.

Risk 3: Mitigating actions: Foreseeing public or private financial/technical support for each specific educational institution. This happens particularly in governmental schools, CET has already overcome this risk by contacting local governments.

Risk 4: Mitigating actions: Teachers at any stage will be able to acquire CET Methodology and promote it. 

Risk 5: Mitigating actions: Diversification of the funding sources. Currently CET receives fund from private, public and international entities. We will continue expanding your resource pool in order to maintain stability no matter the country financial situation.

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Full staff: 4

Part time staff: 2

Contractors: 6

Chicas en Tecnología (CET) was born in 2015 when four Argentine women came together to share the same concern. After undergoing, each from a different approach, the lack of diversity that exists in the world of technology and learning that a team with a multiplicity of visions and contexts works better and generates better products, they decided to create Chicas en Tecnología so that more Women have technology in their professional options.

The 4 co-founders have experience in various areas of technology such as education, programming, entrepreneurship and design. They also received important awards for their work in CET, among the most recent awards: two of them are graduates of the Latin America Leadership Program of Georgetown University and in 2019 they received the Global Competitiveness Leadership Impact Award for the impact of their work. One of the co-founders and now Executive Director was chosen as Ashoka Fellow to be part of the global network of entrepreneurs, through which she continues training herself. She is also part of several communities oriented to transform education and technologies and aprticipated in many other initiatives like The Wikipedia Education Collab, Wazzabi and TEDxRio de la Plata Education, among others.

Today there are 15 people on the team and +400 volunteers, mentors, referees and educators from all over the country involved. Their experience by implementing the programs added to their previous experience in diverse areas: specialists in education, entrepreneurship, research, communications, administration and logistics make a unique team capable of delivering the solution.

-Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL) IDB: in order to create a solution tailored to the needs of the targeted population, CET and IBD INTAL have recently published a a novel quantitative/qualitative survey "A Potential with Barriers" An investigation that seeks to analyze the formative and professional trajectory of women in the STEM disciplines in Argentina, and understand which are the obstacles and barriers they face in accessing the labor market and progress in their careers. 

-JP Morgan Chase Foundation: CET participated in Code For Good program  were technology experts in teams solve real-world problems for nonprofits. CET submitted the challenges it was facing in the design and creation of the e-learning platform and the experts collaborated on new technology to come up with innovative solutions.

-Other technology companies that sponsor CET programs and share the same vision to achieve one same objective: reach equal opportunities in the technological entrepreneur ecosystem.  

-Education Ministries (province and national level): In order to reach and select the educational institutions which will be developing a Club.

CET is a non profit organization all funds raised are invested in the solution. 

In order to finance the programs CET makes alliances with public and private organizations and offers them accompaniment through workshops, talks, and other initiatives to achieve the inclusion of metrics, actions and strategic plans within their organizational culture. 

The direct beneficiaries of the program are girls from 13 to 17 years of age who in the long term will become the future leaders in technology innovating in the organizations and companies that are currently investing in the solution.

CET achieves financial sustainability:

-Through sustained donations and grants. The strategy is to continue adding other untapped sources of funding and avoiding to have CET budget dependent on one source.

-By generating alliances with institutional donors (private charities and foundations) and making campaigns to reach individual private donors.

-Through Corporate Giving, i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs which can include a variety of support types such as employee volunteer time, sponsorship, grants, or even socially responsible supply chains. And Governmental grants and contracts. 

With this innovative solution CET plans to grow in scale and impact. To accompany this growth new networks need to be crated. The e-learning platform is in its pilot stage, this year being applied for the first time in diverse provinces in Argentina. We believe that MIT can provide us a global view to start a sustained growth from Argentina to LATAM. 

Furthermore, the prize funding available will allow CET to overcome the economic barriers to implement the solution.

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We would like to partner with:

-Organizations with research skills worldwide.

-Organizations Creating Gender Equality in the Tech Community worldwide.

-Organizations involved in technology issues in Latin America in order to scale CET e-learning platform.

The AI Innovations Prize would be utilized to improve the technological resources used on the e-learning platform created to deliver Clubs CET in Argentina and LATAM and design new functions and contents to provide a better service. Furthermore, through AI Innovation Prize the solution will be propelled  through out Argentina and LATAM to develop the Clubs remotely by educational institutions with the support and accompaniment of Chicas en Tecnologia.

The Clubs CET focus on inspiring the next generation of technology entrepreneurs and programmers in LATAM. To achieve this, CET works with adolescents between 13 and 17 years of varied educational and sociocultural environments. The program combines intensive instruction in application development, high impact mentoring and exposure to real-world technology companies, as well as personalized support with activities strategically designed for all our graduates to accompany them in the choice and development of their profession. 

The solution involves the participation of educators from formal and non-formal education institutions who will be trained to led the Clubs program.  

The GM Prize would be utilized to improve the technological resources used on the e-learning platform created to deliver Clubs CET in Argentina and LATAM and design new functions and contents to provide a better service. Furthermore, thorugh GM Prize the solution will be propelled  through out Argentina and LATAM to develop the Clubs remotely by educational institutions with the support and accompaniment of Chicas en Tecnologia.

The Clubs CET focus on inspiring the next generation of technology entrepreneurs and programmers in LATAM. To achieve this, CET works with adolescents between 13 and 17 years of varied educational and sociocultural environments. The program combines intensive instruction in application development, high impact mentoring and exposure to real-world technology companies, as well as personalized support with activities strategically designed for all our graduates to accompany them in the choice and development of their profession.

CET will invest the prize in improving the e-learning platform and generating more content to deliver Clubs and ensure that more young girls in Argentina and LATAM overcome stereotype barrier and become creators of technology.

The Women Prize would be utilized to improve the technological resources used on the e-learning platform created to deliver Clubs CET in Argentina and LATAM and design new functions and contents to provide a better service. Furthermore, through the Women Prize the solution will be propelled  through out Argentina and LATAM to develop the Clubs remotely by educational institutions with the support and accompaniment of Chicas en Tecnologia.

The Clubs CET focus on inspiring the next generation of technology entrepreneurs and programmers in LATAM. To achieve this, CET works with adolescents between 13 and 17 years of varied educational and sociocultural environments. The program combines intensive instruction in application development, high impact mentoring and exposure to real-world technology companies, as well as personalized support with activities strategically designed for all our graduates to accompany them in the choice and development of their profession.

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