This year saw our 10th STEAM Challenge for girls in years 8 and 9 take place. Participants need to come up with an initiative, device or project that will help to improve the lives of women and girls in other parts of the world. They work in small teams, develop a project plan, and then pitch the idea to experts in the field having created a prototype to support the concept. There was a video shown at the finals of some of the girls who have taken part in the past ten years highlighting how influential the process had been in their subsequent study and career choices. It is a positive opportunity to encourage young women to use their full potential, engaging in roles that would have been seen as the purview of men in the past. The project links to United Nations SDGs 5 (gender equality) and 10 (reducing inequalities).
See this video from our STEAM Alumni:
This year we had teams from Allenbourn, Ferndown Middle School, Bournemouth School for Girls, Canford School, Talbot Heath and Parkstone Grammar with over 30 girls taking part. Each participant will receive a CREST award from the British Science Association in due course. The final was held on 23 March with 3 teams from each year group going through to the judging and prize giving. The winning teams in each year won £250 for their school and had an individual prize of £25 for each girl, second place had £20 each and the third place £15. We have been blessed with continued sponsorship from Ellis-Jones solicitors and Southwest Water which covered the prize and CREST award costs for this year.
This is a project that takes real team effort and members of the Club enthusiastically engage in all the preparation and organisation required. Well done to the SI Bournemouth STEAM team- Catherine Kiera, Kathy, Julie, and Jean. Great work!
We’ve already started thinking about 23/24 so watch this space.
If you are interested in this or other similar projects and would like to come along to a Soroptimist International Bournemouth meeting to find out more, please email us at sigbibournemouth@hotmail.co.uk.
