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Girls STEAM camp applications closed

Girls STEAM camp applications closed

Girls STEAM Camp

Applications Closed

The U.S. Department of State’s HYPERLINK “www.state.gov/s/partnerships” Office of Global Partnerships (S/GP), just closed the application process for the 2018 WiSci (Women in Science) STEAM Camp, which will be held in Windhoek, Namibia at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). The application was open to high school girls ages 15-18 in Namibia, Swaziland, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States. A public-private partnership designed to expand STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and mathematics) exposure and opportunities for adolescent girls, this year’s camp will take place June 17-June 28.

The 2018 WiSci Girls STEAM Camp is led by the U.S. Department of State alongside partners Girl Up Campaign, the Intel Corporation, Google, NASA, World Learning, and others. The Women in Science (WiSci) camp aims to close the gender gap through access to education, mentorship opportunities, and leadership training. Girls will participate in hands-on activities to learn about various STEAM topics in a cross-cultural learning environment.

Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and engaging girls and women in STEAM education. Unfortunately, girls and women continue to face unique and significant barriers in accessing STEAM education. According to a study conducted in 14 countries, the probability for female students of graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and Doctor’s degree in science-related field are 18%, 8% and 2% respectively, while the percentages of male students are 37%, 18% and 6%. While women represent 40% of the global labor force, they are often paid lower salaries than men in similar jobs and are concentrated in lower skill, lower wage jobs and industries, with significant gaps in higher value added jobs in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.

The Girls WiSci camp aligns with the United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Goals to achieve gender equality and empower all girls and women.