Currently, women constitute a minority in professions linked to science and technology. Eighty-nine percent of ICT (information and communication technology) specialists in the EU are men, meaning that women account for just two out of ten jobs, according to recent Eurostat data.
Numerous studies point to the reasons why women do not sign up for STEM (science, technology, engineering) careers.
It is for this reason that the TecnoCampus of Mataró has decided to promote the TecnoGirl project from the hand of professor Marco Antonio Rodríguez.
The aim of the initiative is to foster a passion for science and technology among girls between the ages of twelve and eighteen. The intention of the project is to raise awareness, inspire and train young women, giving meaning to STEM careers for the new female generations.
"In order to achieve these objectives, the TecnoGirl project is divided into three phases," explains Rodríguez. "The exhibition of female references in science and technology through panels and triptychs, the holding of training workshops in technology and science for girls, and the HackGirl activity".
Hackgirl consists of a hackathon (contraction between the term hacker and marathon). “The activity provides an example to make sense of STEM contributions in a social and environmental field. It focuses on waste management, proposed by the Mataró City Council”, as Rodríguez explains. "The participants alternate work sessions with technological training workshops and finally present their proposal or prototype to the challenge posed."
“In the coming months, we will become part of the STEAM alliance for female talent from the Ministry of Education and Science. During the 2022-2023 academic year, workshops will continue and the exhibitions will circulate through various libraries in the Maresme”, she adds.
The Banco de Buenas Prácticas is part of the Transformative Culture project promoted by the Culture Area of the Barcelona Provincial Council.
The objective of this project is to collect and disseminate both internal management practices and the provision of services, whether they are their own or in collaboration with a third sector. Relevant and significant actions are sought (experiences, projects, activities, actions, etc.) that have produced positive results in a particular context and that are expected to also produce positive results in other contexts of a similar nature.
In this sense, the Provincial Government has selected the TecnoGirl project of TecnoCampus de Mataró as a model of good practice.
The project also has the support of the Mataró City Council and has obtained funding from the Diputación within the framework of the call for grants from the Bibliolab program in two of the three editions that have been carried out.
