Girls create STEM-based innovations to impact their communities
The iCreate Project. Photo: Jelena Lazarevic, Master of Professional Communication 2015.
What do you get when you have a group of young girls with a nascent curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) gather in Ryerson’s Launch Zone (opens in new window) and matched up with successful female professionals in those fields? The iCreate Project!
Bright and early on August 15th, the iCreate Project brought young girls from Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods for a day full of experiential learning and mentorship organized by the Centre for Urban Energy. The girls took part in a series of workshops that challenged them to think of innovative solutions to community problems, build prototypes of their own inventions, and even design and launch their own rockets!
Our pilot project aimed to create a space where STEM, entrepreneurship, and community engagement seamlessly intersected to empower girls of diverse ethnic backgrounds to pursue education and careers in these innovative fields.
Intersectionality in STEM Inclusion
The fact that women are significantly underrepresented in STEM is widely acknowledged and accepted. But the intersectionality of the problem – that is, the added layer of ethnic diversity – has largely gone unrecognized in discussions around STEM inclusion. By recruiting from schools and communities in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods with its high proportions of immigrant and visible minority residents, the iCreate Project actively tackled this issue head on.
Highlighting Community Impact
Chenny Xia (external link, opens in new window) , an award-winning designer and business strategist, opened and led our Innovation Workshop that challenged the girls to consider this: “What is one problem in your neighbourhood that you want to fix?” From vandalism in playgrounds to bullying at school, from gun violence to the lack of public spaces, the girls brought serious issues to the fore.
Research of university offerings have shown that programs in STEM that focus on societal impact and not just on technical pursuits have drawn a higher proportion of women. With this model in mind, we developed the day’s curriculum to intentionally present STEM through a unique lens that highlights its potential for solving community problems.
Learning and Applying the Innovation and Entrepreneurial Cycle
The iCreate girls worked in small teams to identify and solve a specific problem they cared most deeply about. Within just 45 minutes, each team had built truly impressive prototypes that showcased their exceptional teamwork, craftsmanship, and resourcefulness. Most importantly, the girls learned to practice the innovation and entrepreneurial cycle, using each other’s feedback to refine their prototypes and build more robust solutions.
These solutions included a mobile app for citizen reporting on bullying, paint-resistant materials to prevent vandalism, laser domes to protect playgrounds at night, and many more out-of-the-box ideas!
Intensive Mentorship with Rising Leaders
Beyond these thought-provoking activities, the iCreate Project connected these young girls with successful female entrepreneurs and professionals in STEM. Each female mentor was matched with three girls for a day of intensive mentorship, serving as guides for each workshop while also demonstrating the underlying opportunities in STEM occupations. Some of the mentors themselves were raised in low-income households and thus uniquely positioned to understand the challenges the girls face and act as real-life models for them.
A Whole Lot of Fun!
A jam-packed day with non-stop learning and hands-on activities, the iCreate Project was incredibly fun, engaging, and stimulating for all. So much fun, in fact, that we had a hard time getting the girls to pack up at the end of the day! “Will iCreate happen again next weekend?” “Is there a summer camp for this?” The girls left eager, excited, and wanting more STEM in their lives!
You can check out more photos from the event (external link, opens in new window) over on Facebook.
The iCreate Project was generously funded by the RBC Foundation through the RBC Immigrant, Diversity and Inclusion Project at Ryerson University.
Stay tuned for developments with the iCreate Project at www.icreateproject.org (external link) .