On 5 July, UNESCO announced the first five recipients of its program on Revitalizing STEM Education to Equip Next Generations with STEM* Competency (*Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), supported by Huawei Technologies. Among awardees, the Brussels-based Digital Leadership Institute, a pioneer in promoting digital equity for girls and women, was tapped to lead a joint Romanian and Belgian project on “Gender and STEM Education in Romania” (GenSTEMed) with the International School Hermann Oberth and Association for Women in Engineering, Science and Technology.
The Revitalizing STEM program builds on groundbreaking work in this field led by UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, including support for a regional STEM Alliance, a diverse group of stakeholders in STEM and Education from across Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean. For the past three years, Cheryl Miller, DLI Director, has contributed to the STEM Alliance and authored a report for UNESCO on Digital and Gender Policies in Southeast Europe which also helped inform the present action (see YouTube video here).
The GenSTEMed project aims to increase knowledge of factors influencing the decisions girls and women make about STEM studies and careers, an area in which Romania enjoys global leadership. The project’s Research Activities begin with stakeholder surveys and interviews starting in September 2024, outcomes of which will be shared at a hybrid event in Bucharest in February 2025. The event will also host practitioner discussions, inspiring role model talks, and Educational Activities, latter including hands-on emerging technology workshops targeting students and practitioners and aiming to showcase practices that increase participation of girls and women in STEM.
To learn more about the Gender and STEM Education in Romania project, please follow the UNESCO program website or contact us here.