Innovative Young Minds Charitable Trust

Our Mission Innovative Young Minds' goal is to expose young women in school years 11 and 12 to career and research opportunities available in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and high-tech manufacturing) sectors here in New Zealand. IYM seeks to encourage diversity and equality in our science and technology industry by inspiring a new generation of innovators and industry leaders. Females are grossly underrepresented in the STEMM sector and we want to change that. For example, only 12% of engineers in New Zealand are currently women. Women also face significant barriers in entering and progressing within the science and technology workforce. Increasing female parti... read more Our Mission Innovative Young Minds' goal is to expose young women in school years 11 and 12 to career and research opportunities available in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and high-tech manufacturing) sectors here in New Zealand. IYM seeks to encourage diversity and equality in our science and technology industry by inspiring a new generation of innovators and industry leaders. Females are grossly underrepresented in the STEMM sector and we want to change that. For example, only 12% of engineers in New Zealand are currently women. Women also face significant barriers in entering and progressing within the science and technology workforce. Increasing female participation in STEMM will mean greater innovation and economic success for everyone. In the testing times we are currently in, this new breed of creative problem solvers and innovators will be the ones tackling the big challenges of the 21st century such as Covid-19 and climate change. We need to inspire talented people to invent new ways of working, living, travelling and making things. To build a better future, the next generation of engineers, scientists, engineers and technicians need to better reflect our diverse society. This is why it is so important to encourage more young women to get involved in science and technology. New Zealand is home to brilliant and passionate young women. We know this because 370 of them have participated in IYM's programmes. These young women give us hope for the future. IYM's mission is to break down barriers and encourage young women to enter the STEMM sector and to do so we must ensure that our programmes are as engaging and accessible as possible. Our programmes are run by a small but passionate team made up of our five dedicated board members, who come from within our local business and council networks, and one very hard working part time operational staff member. Despite the small team, we're working hard to make a difference to the young women in New Zealand by providing fit-for-purpose locally-based programmes so that we invigorate our future STEMM labour market. How Covid-19 changed our programmes When Covid-19 arrived in 2020, it changed everything for IYM. We were unable to run our normal residential programmes and in response, we created a purpose built online programme that could be delivered to a larger number of students across New Zealand. Delivered virtually via Zoom and Google Classroom, the programme was hugely successful demonstrating there was a strong demand for an accessible online programme. This year our online programme was held in the April school holidays and nearly 100 young women from across New Zealand participated in it. Creating an engaging and participatory virtual programme from scratch in a short time had its challenges but the feedback we received from students told us we were on the right track. We incorporated virtual site tours, compelling and inspirational speakers, mentoring sessions and the Innovation Challenge which is the highlight of every programme we run. The participant fee was only $30 including GST per person which ensured the programme was accessible to all. We were lucky to have Covid-19 relatively well under control in New Zealand by mid 2021 so we were able to proceed with both the new online programme AND our original residential programme, just with a few tweaks; this year we made the decision to only open the residential programme to students in the Greater Wellington Region (rather than the whole country) as this meant that we could more easily manage the financial risks associated with further Covid-19 related lockdowns. This programme was held in the July 2021 school holidays and 39 young women from high schools from the Greater Wellington Region took part. During the week-long residential programme, students attended site visits at universities, Crown Research Institutes and other STEMM organisations where they took part in a range of hands-on STEMM activities. During the programme, students also interacted with women from the science and technology sector who shared their personal journeys and experiences, completed an innovation challenge over the week and learned to network with industry representatives. Students also joined sponsors, business representatives and participants from across the programme at a formal parliamentary reception to finish the week. Thanks to the generosity of our funders, participants only pay $170 including GST per person and successful applicants pay this fee once they are accepted onto the programme. On both our online and residential programmes, participants experience the following: - Tours of laboratories and other spaces in universities, Crown Research Institutes and businesses. - Interactive sessions where researchers and innovators showcase their research and work. - Inspiring career sessions led by women working in STEMM. - Team-building and networking sessions. - An Innovation Challenge where participants work in teams led by industry expert mentors. Accessibility is key to our success We know that there are numerous barriers that stop students, and particularly young females from experiencing STEMM opportunities. Some of these include where they live, family life, expectations and responsibilities, and financial barriers. Our goal is to reduce as many of these barriers as possible so that at least 140 young New Zealand female students per year get the opportunity to experience STEMM careers that might spark their interest for the future. Whilst our programmes have been through a period of growth and change since IYM's inception in 2017, we have never been afraid of making changes, for the right reasons. So far we have delivered once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities for over 370 young women from years 11 and 12 and with additional funding and support we know that we can make this even more impactful and ultimately extend our impact even further. The Innovation Challenge The Innovation Challenge aspect of the programme is immensely successful as it encourages teamwork, friendship, collaboration, problem-solving and design-thinking skills. It also develops research skills and builds confidence as participants deliver presentations back to their peers. We'd like to grow this into The 3M Innovation Challenge so that more young women can participate, learn and benefit from the experience. We know it is life changing, can lead to friendships and gives students the confidence they might need to pursue their passion for a STEMM career - or at the very least give new opportunities a go. The Innovation Challenge allows students to: - Investigate the Challenge. - Choose enabling technologies and design a solution using these. - Make a quick prototype of their solution. - Present their solution. - Celebrate success in a supportive team environment. "If these young women keep up the confidence and motivation I saw, our future is going to benefit from a fabulous generation of problem-solvers". Innovation Challenge 2021 judge Vanessa Oakley, General Manager, Strategy & Business Operations, Chorus "I found it inspiring to see the environmental solutions that the young women in this years' IYM cohort developed during the Innovation Challenge and the poise with which they presented their ideas. Young people think of solutions that adults would never dream of. Investing in them might be the key to building a better world". Innovation Challenge 2021 judge Dr Catlin Powers, Namaste Foundation Video links for more information: https://youtu.be/4UjtV94jUkA https://youtu.be/BXw-k5d0MhA https://youtu.be/BlwdpiK-QeI