06 Jun 2021
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUP, Blog, Dev Degree, Girls in STEM, Success, Summer Camps, Technology

🔜 Less than 2 weeks to submit your STEMing UP applications 💻

The applications for the STEMing UP Program are closing soon, June 15, 2021, applications submitted after that will be put on the waiting list.

Some exciting news to know about before you apply:

STEMing UP 2021 Program Timeline

For the first time ever, we will be extending the program for students so that they can work on their projects beyond the program.

Students asked for an extension to their learning in the program and some have worked on their own to finish their projects for extra learning opportunities, so we have changed the program to better suit the participants.

One of our goals has always been to provide participants with the opportunity to extend their skills and work on their projects from the beginning to the end. With that, they will have an extra valuable skill to add to their resume to support their post-secondary education and scholarship applications and when they are ready to start, this will help them with their career journey. 

What Does This Mean?

The participants will have the opportunity to work beyond the program for a couple of extra months to finalize their projects. Each team from each cohort will be assigned a business challenge and they will engage in a “healthy” competition with each other.

At the end of 4 weeks, the challenge partner along with a panel of judges will select the winning solution from each team. That means that the winning solution is selected to be finalized, however, the other team can join and they, too, can work with a team of experts and learn just as much from them. 

What You Need To Know:

  • A stipend will be provided to each student
  • A WiFi subsidy for each participant 
  • This program is free for low income 
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Apply for the STEMing UP Program Here
17 May 2021
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUP, Blog, Dev Degree, Girls in STEM, Success, Summer Camps, Technology

STEMing UP Program to support students build their portfolio of work

We are very excited to announce that we will be expanding our program to offer our participants the opportunity to build a portfolio of work.

For the first time ever, we will be extending the program for students giving them the opportunity to work on their projects beyond the scope of the program.

We heard YOU!!! We do this because numerous students asked for this opportunity and some have worked in the previous years on their own to finish their projects for extra learning opportunities.

One of our goals has always been to provide participants with the opportunity to extend their skills and work on their projects from the beginning to the end. With that, the program participants will gain an extra valuable skill to add to their resume to support their post-secondary education and scholarship applications and, when they are ready to start, this will help young women with their career journey. 

What does this mean? The participants will have the opportunity to work with a team of experts beyond the 4 weeks of the program to finalize their projects.

Each team from each cohort will be assigned a business challenge and they will engage in a “healthy” competition with each other. At the end of 4 weeks, the challenge partner along with a panel of judges will select the winning solution from each team. That means that the winning solution is selected to be finalized, however, the other team can join and they, too, can work with a team of experts and learn just as much from them. 

After the program ends on August 20, 2021, the students will be paired with professionals and work on their project to the upcoming 3 to 4 months.

“It is a well known fact that young people are having a hard time to get started in their careers, therefore having the opportunity to work on a portfolio of work before starting their post-secondary education it will not inspire young women to pursue STEM based education, this will allow them to use the skills, and the portfolio of work to engage in numerous opportunities, including their first employment opportunity in tech, applying for post secondary education as well as use it for their applications for scholarships. The opportunities are endless” says Doina Oncel, Founder at hEr VOLUTION.

In 2019, a group of students along with a couple of volunteers from Shopify, have come together at the end of the program and worked on their portfolio of work, informally. Here is what they did.

At the end of the 2020 program, the young women worked on powerful ideas, here is the demo from the Python Cohort and here is the demo from the JavaScript Cohort. The Care on Click team had been selected to participate in the MetroHacks’s EmpowHer Computer Science competition, the only Canadian team to participate in this competition based out of Boston, MA in the US.

“Our young women have been asking for these opportunities and we are very excited to work with our program founding partners at Shopify to make this happen for the participants moving forward” says Doina Oncel, Founder at hEr VOLUTION.

To learn more about the program and to apply, please go to https://www.hervolution.org/stemingup

01 Apr 2021
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUP, #STEMingUPSpotlight, Awards, Girls in STEM, Media, STEM Spark, STEMingUPSpotlight, Success, Technology

5 STEMing UP Students Win National CAN-NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

April 1, 2021– Toronto, Ontario – 5 of hEr VOLUTION’s STEMing UP Students Aisha, Mashal, Gira, Lorena, and Arianne have received the National NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC). The award, powered by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), recognizes 9th-12th grade students who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary for their computing-related achievements and interests, as part of an effort to encourage a diverse range of students to choose careers in technology.

Four hundred award recipients were selected from high schools across 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and all U.S. overseas military bases for their outstanding aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing as demonstrated by their computing experience, computing-related activities, leadership experience, tenacity in the face of barriers to access, and plans for post-secondary education.

Each recipient received recognition and prizes; induction into the AiC Community of nearly 20,000 technical individuals who self-identify as women, genderqueer, or non-binary; access to resources, scholarships, and internship opportunities; and more.

“Encouraging young women’s interest in technology careers is critical: our workforce needs their creativity and unique perspectives to produce technology that is as broad and innovative as the population it serves,” said NCWIT CEO and Co-founder Lucy Sanders.

“We are so excited to see the young women from our program achieve this goal so early in their school career. It is such a positive strength for them as it will inspire not only themselves to go further and study computer science but many young women around them as well,”  said hEr VOLUTION CEO and Founder, Doina Oncel.

“Receiving this award and its recognition means so much to me. It just reaffirms that my hard work and dedication are paying off and furthers my devotion and passion towards my life’s mission of building technology geared towards creating social change. I feel so grateful and honoured to join a community of like-minded and talented women in computing,” said Aisha S.

“Being a recipient of this award has meant so much to me as someone that aspires to be a woman trailblazing in STEM. All those hours spent learning and bettering my abilities shaped me as a person and I am very thankful to NCWIT for this award that shows for it. I am excited to continue my journey as both a learner and a leader in STEM,” said Mashal

“It means so much to me to win this award. I feel seen and it has boosted my confidence. Winning the award pushes me to further develop my skills in programming and technology. I want to continue helping others learn code as I do that on my own journey! I feel empowered to be a woman in the technology and computing field,” said Gira C

“I am so grateful for having been recognized as an Affiliate Winner for the Canada-Ontario affiliate. Being recognized for my aspirations in technology has inspired me to continue developing my skills in computing and encouraged me to dream big dreams of my future in STEM.,” said Lorena R

“Thank you to NCWIT for putting in the time and effort in empowering women to pursue their aspirations in the computing industry! I hope that this recognition inspires minorities in tech to continue breaking the barriers. Together as a team, we can diversify the STEM community,” said Arianne G. Rull

About hEr VOLUTION

hEr VOLUTION is an award-winning charitable organization providing innovative education and employment services to girls and young women in STEM. Our mission is to advance education by providing workshops and instructional seminars on topics relating to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for low income and marginalized youth with a focus on girls and young women.

About NCWIT

NCWIT is a non-profit community that convenes, equips, and unites change leader organizations to increase the influential and meaningful participation of girls and women — at the intersections of race/ethnicity, class, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and other historically marginalized identities — in the field of computing, particularly in terms of innovation and development. Find out more at www.ncwit.org

For more information, visit www.hervolution.org

For interview requests for or quotes from hEr VOLUTION contact:

mediarelations@hervolution.org

www.hervolution.org

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31 Mar 2021
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUP, #STEMingUPSpotlight, Girls in STEM, STEMingUPSpotlight, Success, Technology

STEMing UP Program applications to open April 15, 2021. Are you ready?

We are VERY excited to announce that we will be opening the STEMing UP program applications on April 15, 2021. 

Are you a young woman from Ontario aged 13 – 17 interested in computer science and technology?

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STEMing UP is a 4-week course preparing you for a career in tech

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You will learn to code, problem-solve, and think like a leader

In a collaboration with Ontario technology leaders, including Shopify, Citrix Canada, and Zapata Computing, STEMing UP aims to equip young women with the confidence, skills, professional portfolios, and networks to pursue fulfilling careers in the STEM industries.

Applicants from across Ontario are encouraged to apply.

The program is 4 weeks long and begins on Monday, July 26, 2021, and ends on August 20, 2021.
Applicants will need to include the following:
* 1 reference from school/teacher – it can be in a letter format or you can submit a document with your reference Name; Phone number; Email
* 1 reference from a referral agency/mentor/guidance counsellor – it can be in a letter format or you can submit a document with your reference Name; Phone number; Email
* A list of courses/transcripts that you have completed or are currently enrolled in
* Media & Parent Release Form

  • We recommend you start collecting these before starting the application. Please submit a COMPLETED application (incomplete applications will not be accepted)

If you think you would be a good candidate for this program, we encourage you to apply. Applications will open April 15, 2021. Please add your name to the list here to be notified of the upcoming info sessions and have access to the application before anyone else. 

What former students are saying about the program:

_______________________

This program made me aware of some of this different possible job fields I can do into. It taught me some coding in both JavaScript and Python. It also taught me how to pitch a product idea.

____________

I can honestly say that this program taught me so much more than just coding! After leaving the program I walked through the world as an entrepreneur, critical thinker and a leader. I can look back at my summer with hEr VOLUTION and point it out to an important milestone in my personal and professional journey!

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The program made me realize that stepping out of the box is important. Experiencing the program made me more confident and motivated to take on projects I’d be afraid of doing out of expected failure, and I feel grateful that I don’t think that way anymore.

____________________________

05 Mar 2021
#STEM4Every1, Blog, Girls in STEM, IWD, Media, Success

Women in tech : a key success factor for COVID economic recovery

On March 6, 2021, men and women from around the world launch a call to action for more women in tech: they invite governments to publish an official ranking of establishments/universities teaching STEM based on the proportion of women among graduated students.

With more than 200 hundred personalities representing the public and the private sector, Doina Oncel, Founder of hEr VOLUTION, has joined the call initiated by Claudine Schmuck, author of Gender Scan, including to raise attention on the lack of progress for women in tech while the examples of Katalin Kariko, Laurence Devillers, Esperanza Martinez Romero, Ritu Karidhal, and Catherine Ngila demonstrate how influential women’s contribution to innovation can be.

Today fewer women enter scientific and technical studies, where they only represent 34% (i) of all STEM graduates in the world. This situation worsens on the job market in part due to sexism, where the proportion of women drops to 28% among scientists and engineers (ii)

The call for action invites governments to officially publish each year a ranking of STEM universities by the proportion of graduated women. This action will enable to evaluate the ability of universities to attract and retain the women needed by public and private R&D. It will enable to measure the progress from one year to the other the evolution and the effectiveness of solutions implemented.

Developing indicators for action is the focus of Gender Scan. Each edition enables to measure accomplishments as well as next steps. Co-constructed with partners representing students, SME & co-workers, and employees the 2021 survey will remain focused on highlighting achievements and identifying key actions for each target audience: teenagers, students, SME & co-workers, and employees.

As of March 6, 2021, the call for action will be available on  https://www.genderscan.org/. It will remain open to new signatories after March 8, 2021.

Gender Scan presentation :

[1] Gender ScanTM:  created in 2008 and published every year since 2017, Gender Scan is a reference survey on women in STEM from education to employment. It integrates data from UNESCO and the International Labor Organization to provide global insights on the evolution of the proportion of women in STEM studies, STEM sectors, and STEM occupations. It also includes results from the online survey. In the 2019 Gender Scan survey more than 15 000 respondents from 130 countries

About hEr VOLUTION

hEr VOLUTION is an award-winning charitable organization providing innovative education and employment services to girls and young women in STEM. Our mission is to advance education by providing workshops and instructional seminars on topics relating to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for low-income and marginalized youth with a focus on girls and young women.

For more information, visit www.hervolution.org

For interview requests for or quotes from hEr VOLUTION contact:

mediarelations@hervolution.org

www.hervolution.org

[i] Source: Unesco, Gender Scan analysis.

[ii] Source: International Labor Organization, Gender Scan analysis.

 

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02 Mar 2021
#STEM4Every1, Fundraising, IWD

Raise The Barre to raise funds for hEr VOLUTION in celebration of #IWD2021

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Raise The Barre committed to raising money for a cause that would help other women grow and succeed! As two young women with a background in Engineering and Business, they feel extremely passionate about supporting women in STEM. hEr VOLUTION gives students the opportunity to explore STEM and empowers them to pursue their goals and dreams!

Both Sarah and Stass come from the corporate world and started Raise The Barre as a part-time fitness business. Sarah graduated from University with an Engineering background, and Stass has graduated with an Accounting and Finance background. They met and bonded over their passion for Fitness. They started Raise The Barre with a goal to form a community of strong, like-minded women, who are always looking to challenge themselves.

To help with this fundraising initiative, Stass and Sarah will be running a virtual fitness session on March 8, 2021, from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM (EST) with all proceeds going to hEr VOLUTION. Registration is required and a Vimeo link will be sent to all registrants. 

To be part of this movement, be sure to make a donation to hEr VOLUTION here http://bit.ly/RaiseTheBarreIWD and then register for the class here http://bit.ly/3uMA6n2 

Let’s #ChooseToChallenge ourselves and together by becoming stronger in health while making the future of work accessible for all.