By Mrinalini Venkatachalam | Project Lead
In 2014, the Singapore Committee for UN Women embarked on the pilot year for the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme. The programme was set up to address the gender inequality existing in these industries. The aims of the programme are to increase awareness of STEM, and to change the perception of STEM industries held by the general community.
With this in mind, the Singapore Committee for UN Women organised a wide range of sessions to engage women and girls in STEM. We ran Day Camps for 3000 girls last year and Field Trips for those who showed a keen interest in knowing more about STEM. Our ambassadors from various Science and Technology roles addressed girls through school talks to contextualise the application of STEM beyond the classroom. These girls who come from a wide range of backgrounds across Singapore and had not considered STEM as a tertiary or career pathway. Male and female professionals in STEM were also reached through panel discussion events to understand the current barriers within the industries. Additionally, educators and parents of ‘Girls2Pioneers’ expressed interest in learning to play a more active role in supporting opportunities in STEM.
In 2015, Women in STEM is continuing to grow. Our goal of engaging more women in STEM careers remains. We are bringing STEM Day Camps to 3000 more girls, while sustaining the interest of Girls2Pioneers through various Field Trips and mentoring. So far, students have received the opportunity to visit wigth cancer scientists, learn about research and experiment with cancer drugs on mutated cells, learn the basics of code, experiment with other forms of technology to create innovative products and visit a fragrance facility and create their own product. This year, we are additionally gathering more data on the current standards for women in STEM workplaces and training teachers on how they can integrate potential STEM opportunities into their curriculum.
This programme will continue to make a lasting impact on the girls and women by supporting them as they transition from each stage of the programme.
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