Women in Science Camps Coming to Central America to Bridge Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2022 Girl Up, with government and corporate partners, will host 139 secondary school students and 14 college students (or recent college graduates) from Panama, Costa Rica, the United States, and U.S. territories at WiSci (Women in Science) Central America STEAM Camp. From January 24-29, girls will virtually attend six days of programming including insightful discussions, interactive STEAM skills workshops, and leadership-training activities. The WiSci (Women in Science) camps, born out of a public-private partnership between organizations committed to bridging the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and mathematics (STEAM), provide adolescent girls and young women with technical knowledge and mentorship opportunities geared towards helping them explore a future in STEAM fields.

"At Girl Up, we know the importance of female leadership in every field, especially STEAM fields where women are under-represented. We're excited to bring together public and private sector partners at WiSci Central America with a common goal of helping girls build their STEAM skills," said Girl Up Executive Director, Melissa Kilby.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, camp will be held online, with tablets, toolkits, and materials provided by Intel. Young changemakers will work together in smaller, international cohorts to tackle society's most pressing issues in their communities at home and abroad through scientific and technological innovation. Led by industry experts from Intel, WiSci Central America campers will follow a carefully curated curriculum, providing campers with first-class STEAM training and skills strengthening sessions in topics including coding, website design, and more.

"It is critical the next generation of innovators have access to technology and learning opportunities such as this camp," said the Director of Intel STEM Education Initiatives, Gabriela A. Gonzalez. "As part of our 2030 corporate responsibility goals, Intel has committed to partner with governments and communities to address the digital divide and expand access to technology skills needed for current and future jobs. No one company or organization can achieve this alone. It takes all of us working together to truly make progress."

This year's camp will also be hosted in both English and Spanish, fostering a safe, supportive, and language-accessible environment for all girls to learn. Ultimately, the camp will build teamwork, cross-cultural relationship-building, and professional development to create a supportive network of STEAM enthusiasts that will last long beyond the six-day program.

"The U.S. Department of State is proud to finally bring the WiSci experience to Central America thanks to the support of our partners at Girl Up, Intel, and Caterpillar," said Thomas Debass, Managing Director for the U.S. Department of State's Office of Global Partnerships. "The girls who participate in WiSci Central America might not know it yet, but we're counting on them to help us solve the global challenges of tomorrow. All girls have the potential to be leaders and changemakers, but not without opportunities to hone their talents and learn new skills. We hope that WiSci Central America will empower the campers from Costa Rica, Panama, and the U.S. to make their communities and the world a better place."

WiSci Central America is hosted by WiSci Founding Partners, the U.S. Department of State, Girl Up, and Intel, in partnership with the Caterpillar Foundation. As part of camp programming, youth participants will experience mentorship opportunities from leaders at partner organizations.

"This collaboration provides a great opportunity to make a direct impact in the lives of talented young women around the world and compliments the work of the Caterpillar Foundation to deliver meaningful impact to communities most in need," said Asha Varghese, president of Caterpillar Foundation.

The WiSci Girls STEAM camp is part of the U.S. government's efforts to empower adolescent girls and promote the importance of innovation, technology, science leadership, and STEAM training, in addition to the importance of girls' education. Since 2015, more than 900 girls from 30 countries have been successfully trained at WiSci Girls STEAM Camps in Rwanda, Peru, Malawi, Namibia, Georgia, Estonia, and Kosovo – virtually with campers from Morocco and Côte d'Ivoire.    

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About Girl Up

Girl Up is a global leadership development initiative, positioning girls to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. With resources in six languages and 5,000 Girl Up Clubs in more than 130 countries, we've trained 95,500 girls of all backgrounds to create tangible change for girls everywhere. Girl Up provides leadership training and gives girls the tools to become gender equality advocates and activists. Through our programs, girls broaden their social impact skill set, benefit from a platform to tell their stories, and apply STEM for social good. Our girl leaders create real policy change at local and national levels, help raise millions of dollars to support United Nations programs that reach hundreds of thousands of girls around the world and build community-based movements. Girl Up was founded by the United Nations Foundation in 2010 and continues to work across a global community of partners to achieve gender equality worldwide. Learn more at GirlUp.org.

About the U.S. Department of State's Office of Global Partnerships

The U.S. Department of State's mission is to shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere. The Department's Office of Global Partnerships (E/GP) is the center of excellence for collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, the public and private sectors, and civil society. Launched in 2008 on the recommendation by the Advisory Committee for Transformational Diplomacy, E/GP builds and facilitates partnerships that leverage the creativity, innovation, and core business resources of partners for greater impact.

About Caterpillar Foundation

Founded in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed nearly $810 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by building resilient communities that thrive in a rapidly changing world. Along with our partners, we contribute our time and resources to promote the resilience, sustainability, and economic strength of communities around the world. As Caterpillar Inc. works to build a stable societal infrastructure, the Caterpillar Foundation focuses on building thriving communities by investing in the skills people need to join the modern workforce, and the natural and vital infrastructure that supports them.

Further Information

For more information about the WiSci Girls STEAM Camp, visit: GirlUp.org/WiSci

Girl Up officials are available for interview during and after the WiSci camp. Please contact Rahkendra Ice at [email protected] to schedule an interview.

Media Contact

Rahkendra Ice, Girl Up, 2023708083, [email protected]

SOURCE Girl Up