December 5 - CSR Ukraine in partnership with UNFPA Ukraine organized first “Girls` Day” in Ukraine. 16 STEM companies opened their doors to 5-9 grade girls to awake their interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Excursions and meetings with local staff took place in seven cities - Kyiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Yuzhnoukrainsk and Uzhhorod.
Sixteen different companies have held practical classes, excursions, organized seminars, quizzes, competitions for girls who attended middle school in order to awaken their interest in science and technology. The organizers of the First Girl's Day in Ukraine organized a teleconference in Kyiv with other cities-participants of the Day. By skype sessions girls shared their impressions about visits to companies and speaking to specialists who destroyed their stereotyped views on male and female professions:
- Ivano-Frankivsk: girls visited "Prykarpattyaoblenergo", where they met women who work in the energy sphere and female scientist;
- Uzhgorod: schoolgirls visited IT company Astound Commerce, "Astra-DiA" – diagnostic laboratory, where girls did mini-experiments in the laboratory. Also, girls visited Astound Commerce IT Company, where they met women in IT and learned different IT professions. 20 girls went to UkrGazBank and saw all the process in the bank and met with women, who work in different STEM professions.
- Kyiv: two IT companies - Miratech and DAXX opened their doors for schoolgirls and women-employees of these companies told about their career path in companies, challenges and how to solve them. Also girls visited Unit Factory - unique IT school without teachers and met with girls who study there. Another group of girls visited pharmaceutical company - TEVA, where they saw different fields women work in and women on TOP position mentioned the importance of soft skills, women empowerment, and motivation. Also, girls visited UGEARS - Ukrainian successful startup production. Girls tried to make their own wooden puzzles and asked women who work in UGEARS about their usual workday, difficulties and their first workplaces. After these excursions, many girls wanted to choose STEM professions in the future.
- Yuzhnoukrainsk: girls visited PrivatBank office, where they learned different banking process, schoolgirls tried to use own cards and the director of this office gave girls certificates. Also, girls visited jewelry house “Versal”, where they learned differences between different gems from women who work there. Representatives of study center “Impulse” also met with girls and told about STEM fields, about future professions and the importance of learning.
- Zhytomyr: 20 girls visited ISM Commerce - IT company where they did a quiz about IT trends and professions in IT. Girls listened to their female specialists and asked them a lot of questions.
- Dnipro: girls went to 2 IT companies Luxoft and 123soft, where they saw international IT companies and listen to several women in IT field, including regional directors of these companies.
- Lviv: girls visited IT&tech company Sombra, they were engaged in generating ideas for solving real company project and met with project managers, programmers, and WEB designers.
The questionnaire was developed for girls. It includes questions about STEM, stereotype professions, the importance of Girls Day, impact of the Girls’ Day on their career choices. According to the data obtained through the questionnaires, 50% of the girls at the beginning believed that there are female and male professions. Seventy percent of the girls indicated that this Day at the company changed their career plans to consider profession in STEM as well.
In total, the First Girls’ Day united 320 girls, 16 companies in 7 cities of Ukraine. Companies that supported the event as part of social corporate responsibility: Astound Commerce, Astra DiA, Versal jewelry, DAXX, Energoatom, ISM Ukraine, Luxoft, Miratech, PrivatBank, Prykarpattyaoblenergo, Sombra, TEVA, UGEARS, Unit Factory, UkrGasBank, 123Soft.
In the evening, the round table was organized to discuss the results of the Girls Day and plan the Girls Day in 2019.
Look a short video how it was:
