Boulder, Colorado (PRWEB) March 14, 2014 -- DevelopHer Toy & Game Challenge (DevelopHer), the first annual, global challenge to design toys and games that engage girls ages 3-12, is proud to announce its launch on May 20, 2014, at The National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) Summit, held in Newport Beach, Calif.
“With the goal of DevelopHer being to spur girls’ interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers, we can’t think of a better place to announce the start of this groundbreaking project than at the NCWIT Summit,” said Carrie Van Heyst at DevelopHer. “We can’t wait to see the submissions we receive,” said Andrea Guendelman at DevelopHer.
DevelopHer promises to be a game-changing event for the toy industry; study after study shows that girls are not pursuing educations in STEM fields or choosing STEM careers. The Challenge will spur the creation of next-generation toys and games for girls that will help them develop spatial understanding and other abilities necessary for careers in STEM fields.
“Currently, women only hold 27 percent of all computer science jobs, and only one in seven engineers is female,” said Jane Saltzman at DevelopHer. “Introducing girls at a young age to the right toys designed to foster a lifelong passion for STEM fields is crucial in changing this trend.”
DevelopHer will showcase 10 existing toys that meet the requirements of The Challenge at the NCWIT Summit, vetted through a submission process that was began on March 5, 2014. For more information, visit http://www.developherchallenge.com.
About DevelopHer
DevelopHer and the DevelopHer Toy & Game Challenge is the first annual challenge to design toys and games that engage girls ages 3-12 in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). DevelopHer was founded by Andrea Guendelman and Carrie Van Heyst, For more information, visit http://www.developherchallenge.com.
About The National Center for Women & Information Technology
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is a non-profit community of more than 500 universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations nationwide working to increase women’s participation in computing and technology. NCWIT helps organizations more effectively recruit, retain, and advance girls and women in K-12 through college education, and from academic to corporate and startup careers. Find out more at http://www.ncwit.org.
###
andrea guendelman, developher, +1 (505) 205-2723, [email protected]
Share this article