Chicas en Tecnología works to create a sustainable ecosystem in which the next generation of women leaders in science and technology can develop. To achieve this goal it is necessary that different actors contribute efforts that reach the entire country and region. For this reason, the NGO works with strategic allies to build networks to expand the impact of its initiatives and transform the reality of adolescent girls in Argentina.
In 2018, after having strengthened and validated its programs to close the gender gap in science and technology, the organization began to work with Ministries and Secretariats in different parts of the country with the aim of generating proposals that were adapted to each population. “The articulation is a co-creation because on the other side there was always a commitment to understand who the target people were, how we were going to achieve it and what the value contribution was going to be,” explained Melina Masnatta, director and co-founder of Chicas en Tecnología in the panel dedicated to the public sector. These experiences affirmed the relevance of this sector as a strategic ally to transform the reality of Argentine teenage girls and generate a social context in which they can become future leaders and innovators in technology.
Transformative actions
The research “A potential with barriers”, The event, organized by Chicas en Tecnología together with INTAL - IDB (Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean of the Inter-American Development Bank), brought together representatives from the public and private sectors and civil society to discuss proposals that contribute to closing the gender gap in science and technology in the country. In this context, Carolina Basualdo, Secretary of Equity of Córdoba, answered some questions posed by Melina Masnatta to the audience.
What work are you doing to get girls and women interested in learning about the possibilities for development in the field of science and technology?
The Government of Córdoba works with public policies with a gender perspective, and the Secretariat for Equity and Employment Promotion works to strengthen women through programs that carry out strategic actions to promote women's capabilities based on equal opportunities. Four fundamental lines of action for women are being pursued in depth: health, work, education and family.
In relation to education, and understanding that as a State we must work to reduce the digital gender gap, since 2018 TecnoFem, the initiative of the Secretariat under which the Girls in Technology Clubs are carried out, has been carried out. The program promotes the technological training of young women aged 13 to 16. The objective of TecnoFem is that the participants acquire knowledge about programming, roles and potentialities offered by the labor field in the technological sector and tools to promote their own projects and enterprises. The proposal offered by the program is to include, within a non-formal educational institution, belonging to other orders of government such as municipalities, a space where girls can lead technological projects in which they can design, program and implement a technological solution with social impact.
In this way, we seek to reduce the gender gap that exists in the field of technology through concrete actions and tools, such as the educational offer related to programming. This experience was carried out with a federal spirit. We reached 20 departments of the province, which allows us to say that together with Chicas en Tecnología we are the province that has developed more clubs with territorial extension and social impact in its community, in which almost 200 young people participated and made their app, which is more than that: they solved a tangible problem in their communities, in their municipalities. At the end of last year's program, the young people shared their creations and we adults were the ones who learned from them. This is an important turning point to work on the confidence of these girls towards the world of technology, who are not seeing it as a place for development. The province is a technology hub, and if we do not see young women as the ones who will lead these spaces, we will miss a unique opportunity.
In this second cycle of TecnoFem to be launched in 2019, in a joint and committed work with other social sectors such as academic, business and social areas, we will incorporate not only tools related to programming, but also robotics, 3D printing, video games, among others.
What are the main challenges you face when designing and implementing initiatives such as TecnoFem?
The main challenge for the Secretariat is to reinforce the motivation of girls and young women who have gone through the TecnoFem space so that they consider the option of having an education linked to technology as a valid one. And also to generate this motivation in those who currently do not consider it a valid option.
What strategies and lessons can you share to inspire other sectors from your experiences?
The strategy focuses on the implementation of these public policies in an inclusive manner, not from the unidirectional work of the government, but in the unified work of social, national and international organizations, the private sector, the cluster and prestigious women who have excelled in technological spaces, companies and universities.
In 2018 Córdoba was the province that concentrated a greater number of #ClubesCET in its localities, under the #TecnoFem initiative. After a year of collaborative work and community development the program was awarded by the Córdoba Technology Cluster.
