DLI Update – June-August 2017

The DLI Board and Executive Team are actively involved in initiatives with partners and stakeholders around the world that promote ESTEAM* leadership by girls and women.  As part of our activities in Summer 2017, DLI Founder, Ms. Cheryl Miller, contributed to the Entrepreneurship Summer School in Brussels, whose outcomes are shared in the video below. 

Find out below about our other work in Summer 2017, learn here about future activities in which we are involved, and visit our calendar for upcoming events organised by DLI.

*entrepreneurship, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics


1 June – Digital Festival (Brussels): DLI partnered for the second edition of the Digital Festival, that took place on 1 June in Brussels which aims to celebrate technology, ideas and global innovation. Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, contributed to an invitation-only luncheon panel on the topic of “Redesigning Work to Unlock Human Potential.”


8-9 June – Gender Equality in STEM Conference (Berlin): On 9 June, Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, moderated a day-long session exploring Gender Equality in STEM as part of a first-time event on this subject that took place 8-9 June in Berlin.


11 June – In Conversation with Gloria Steinem at Google (Brussels): In collaboration with the European Women’s Lobby, Google Belgium welcomed Ms. Gloria Steinem in Brussels for an invite-only luncheon attended by Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder. The event was followed by a panel at Brussels Town Hall and a march to end violence against girls and women.


14 June – SciChallenge Contest: On 14 June, DLI Founder, Ms. Cheryl Miller, joined the jury of the 2017 SciChallenge contest, in which 487 teams from across Europe participated. The twelve top projects were awarded on 20-21 July in Vienna.


14-15 June – 2017 Digital Assembly (Valletta, Malta): 14-15 June in Valletta, Malta, Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, joined hundreds of European and global stakeholders promoting “Digital Europe: Investing in the Future,” as part of the Maltese presidency of the Council of the European Union.


21 June – KAGIDER “Women in the Workforce” Session at European Parliament: On 21 June at the European Parliament in Brussels, Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, joined a high-level roundtable hosted by MEP Kati Piri and KAGIDER on the the topic of participation of women in the workforce in Turkey and Europe.


29 June – “Women in Tech” Platform Launch (Brussels): On 20 June, DLI joined in celebrating the launch of the Brussels “Women in Tech” platform whose aim is to promote greater participation of girls and women in digital studies and careers in Brussels. The initiative, to which DLI is a partner, is part of the Women In Business platform supported by Impulse Brussels


10-11 July – Chatham House International Policy Forum (London): 10-11 July, DLI Founder, Ms. Cheryl Miller, joined an invitation-only International Policy Forum on the topic of “Smart and Fair: Recognizing Women’s Role in Our Economic Future,” organised by the Chatham House in London.


10-16 July – Entrepreneurship School Brussels: 10-14 July, DLI Founder, Ms. Cheryl Miller, gave a talk to dozens of aspiring entrepreneurs gathered in Brussels to take part in the Think Young Entrepreneurship School 2017. Ms. Miller provided advice and mentorship based on her experience as an entrepreneur and contributed to judging the final presentations at Google in Brussels on 14 July. Top projects by women-led teams were awarded incubation with inQube, DLI’s female tech incubator.


28-30 August – UNESCO International Symposium and Policy Forum (Bangkok): 28-30 August in Bangkok, Ms. Cheryl Miller, DLI Founder, spoke on the topic of “Best practices to increase participation of girls and women in ESTEAM,” as part of the UNESCO International Symposium and Policy Forum on Cracking the Code: Education for Girls in STEM.


Be sure to visit our Calendar, Upcoming Activities page, and sign up for the DLI Newsletter in order to keep up with DLI events and activities!

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Register Now for Digital Muse After School

After reaching nearly 500 girls with our Girl Tech Fest initiative, Digital Muse plans to keep inspiring girls with a Digital Muse After School (DMAS) program, taking place at our female tech incubator in Brussels on Wednesdays after school, 14:00-16:00.

What is Digital Muse After School?

Digital Muse After School is a program for up to 40 teen girls, ages 11 to 16, focused on encouraging them to pursue studies and careers in ESTEAM:  Entrepreneurship and Arts, powered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The first DMAS series, taking place between 20 September and 13 December 2017, is focused on four thematic areas that introduce participants to the variety of opportunities that a career in technology has to offer.

DMAS 2017 Timeline – Wednesdays, 14:00-16:00

  • Start:  20 September 2017
  • End:   13 December 2017

DMAS 2017 Class Schedule

  • 20 September-4 October:  Android Programming with MIT App Inventor
  • 11-25 October:  Web Development with WordPress
  • 8-22 November:  Data Visualization with Tableau
  • 29 November-13 December:  Electrical Engineering/Wearables with Adafruit

Information and Rolling Registration:  https://bit.ly/DMAS17

****FRANCAIS****

Suite au succès de notre “Girl Tech Fest” auquel plus de 450 filles ont participé, Digital Muse veux continuer inspirer les filles et lance son programme parascolaire “Digital Muse After School” (DMAS).

Qu’est-ce que le DMAS?

Digital Muse After School est un programme parascolaire qui peut accueillir jusqu’au 40 participantes, ayant le but d’encourager les filles à poursuivre des études et des carrières dans les domaines de l’entrepreneuriat, science, technologie, ingénierie, arts et mathématique (ESTEAM)

Le premier semestre est axé sur le développement des projets pendants trois semaines au cours desquelles les filles apprendront des notions qui couvrent trois domaines thématiques (développement d’Android, conception web, visualisation des données et l’ingénierie électrique/“Wearables”) afin d’introduire les filles aux nombreuses options qu’une carrière dans le domaine de la technologie peut offrir.

****NEDERLANDS****

450 meisjes hebben al genoten van ons Girl Tech Fest evenement. Nu lanceert Digital Muse het Afterschool programma en zal hiermee de meisjes blijven inspireren.

Wat is het?

Het is een programma met 40 meisjes, dat focust op het stimuleren van jonge meisjes om hun studies af te werken en een job aan te gaan in ESTEAM (entrpreneurship, science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Tijdens het eerste semester, zullen de meiden werken aan een Androidontwikkeling, ontwerpen van een website, data visualisatie en elektrotechniek, om ze kennis te laten maken met verschillende carrière mogelijkheden in technologie.

 

 

 

 

 

Coding Brings Confidence Say Europe's Women

In May 2017, the Digital Leadership Institute team met in Croatia with its WOW Code2Confidence partners, a project funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission. The project organisations explored how learning to code can lead to more confidence for women during studies and in the job market.

During the meeting, results from a pan-European survey on the interest of European women in coding were presented. Key findings of the survey, which was carried out by WOW Code2Confidence partners across Belgium, Croatia, England, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Romania, are below:

  • 53% of European women surveyed expressed an interest in learning to code;
  • Most women surveyed rate their current coding skills as Beginner, and 85% of women surveyed noted that coding activities give them confidence.
  • The main reason for women’s interest in coding is because coding skills are required for studies/work and due to an expressed desire to become more familiar with technical terms and jobs.
  • The survey also revealed that the main reason for those surveyed having never tried coding is due to a lack of suitable training resources.

Read the full results of the survey in our most recent WOW Code2Confidence newsletter, and for more information about the project, or about other DLI work promoting women in coding, please contact us.

On 5-6 October in Brussels, DLI will host the Fall 2017 meeting of the WOW Code2Confidence Project whose focus will be how women can leverage coding skills to improve their opportunities in the job market.  Stay tuned!

 

Move It Forward Sofia with Women Roma

On 8-9 July in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Digital Leadership Institute, Women’s Entrepreneurship PlatformBegital and Trust for Social Achievement and their partners hosted a Move It Forward female digital starters event with Women Roma.  Move It Forward is an initiative of inQube, DLI‘s female digital accelerator, and is supported by the Digital Belgium Skills Fund, top technology companies, non-profit organisations, and youth and women’s networks and communities. Its objective is to give teen and adult women* the skills to become digital entrepreneurs and leaders, and to support them in driving positive change in their communities.

*anyone who identifies as a woman

2017-18 Ada Awards Launched at Digital Agenda Assembly

On 16 June 2017, in celebration of the 2017 European Digital Assembly taking place as part of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Digital Leadership Institute and its partners are proud to launch online nominations for the fourth annual edition of the European Ada Awards, a long-standing pledge to the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition for Europe.

The European Ada Awards recognise top girls and women in digital studies and careers in Europe, and organisations impacting the ecosystem to increase participation of girls and women in tech.

To nominate candidates for the 2017-18 European Ada Awards, please visit the links below:

Questions and interest to support the Ada Awards may be directed to DLI here. National partners are actively being sought to roll out the Ada Awards across Europe and around the world.

The Ada Awards are an initiative of the Digital Leadership Institute in partnership with CEPIS, DIGITALEUROPE, ECWT
and European Schoolnet.