Vision: A society in which girls confidently lead in STEM entrepreneurship, education and contribute to their community and the economy. Established in 2014, by Dr Jenine Beekhuyzen the Tech Girls Movement Foundation (TGMF) was designed to change the way the world, society, industry and individuals viewed girl’s involvement in STEM. To reverse the unacceptable trend of low female participation across STEM disciplines. Ultimately, we want to change existing cultures and break down that glass ceiling. But how do we plan to break down the glass ceiling? Mission: To champion Australian schoolgirls, using hands-on learning, to transform their future and encourage equity in the technology industry. We believe society will be better if we have a more diverse STEM workforce. Having an equal representation of society’s citizens in the teams and organisations of the world (e.g. Google, Facebook, Twitter) that develop the technology that we use every day is imperative. For instance, in 2014 Silicon Valley giants Twitter released figures that only 10% of their technical workforce is female. NOT OK! To reverse this unacceptable trend, we want to empower schoolgirls to build technology to change the world. The Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero competition is a 12-week program, held annually, currently in its sixth year. Launching on International Women’s Day each year the competition partners with many organisations and invites teams of girls from across Australia and New Zealand to solve real-world problems through technology. The 12-week competition has a well-developed curriculum, based on the curriculum outlined by Technovation. We have also ensured our 12-week program aligns with the Australian Digital Technologies curriculum, making our program even more relevant to today’s schoolgirls. To further enhance the impact of each team’s contribution we encourage teams to align their entries with the Sustainable Development Goals as set by the United Nations.

https://www.searchforthenexttechgirlsuperhero.org

• Australia

• Youth
• Women

Since its inception the competition has been run in over 500 schools throughout Australia and New Zealand. Due to its relevance to the Australian Digital Technologies curriculum, some innovative teachers/schools have embedded the Search for the Next Tech Girl Superhero Competition into their teaching. Each year we have returning teams, coaches and mentors. This clearly demonstrates the positive nature of individual involvement in the program.

“The Movement” was formed. Joining the movement essentially requires a call to action from all facets of STEM, from early intervention in schooling, to parent understanding and appreciation of the changing face of female societal roles. TGMF’s goal is to create a sisterhood and movement that inspires all women with interest in technology to impart change. TGMF will educate the world that technology is vital for our future, and highlight to all, that women have played an essential part in our technology history and that we need them to play an essential part in our technology futures.

• Access to public official information • Basic literacy • Distance learning • Education/training • E-literacy • Gender • Combating illiteracy • Teacher training • Training ICT professionals • Volunteering • Youth