Funding Boost To Encourage Kiwi Girls Into STEMM Careers

A New Zealand organisation dedicated to introducing and encouraging women to pursue careers in STEMM is expanding its work following a resoundingly successful residential programme this year.

Founded in 2017 by Rotary Hutt City and supported by Hutt City Council, Innovative Young Minds (IYM) is a programme designed to encourage young women to explore science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and high-tech manufacturing – also known as the STEMM sector.

This year, IYM has been grateful to receive a boost to their organisation through NZ$141,500 (US$85,000) in grants provided by science-based technology company 3M. For more than a century, 3M has innovated a wide range of products for businesses and consumers including the iconic Post-it Notes and Scotch tape. 3M is also committed to supporting initiatives that advance equitable outcomes in STEMM and businesses for under-represented and under-resourced populations.

The grant will allow IYM to expand its work by developing a growth strategy with the vision to deliver its STEMM immersion programmes to even more participants. IYM Chairperson Gaylene Hughes highlights the importance of the investment.

“Women have historically been underrepresented in STEMM industries, not only in New Zealand but around the world,” Hughes says.

“Our programmes aim to show the diversity of STEMM roles available in New Zealand and encourage young women to get involved. The support from companies operating in New Zealand, such as 3M, is vital to improving rates of representation in STEMM and is gratefully received.”

According to TechWomen, less than one in 20 girls consider a high-paid career in science, technology, engineering or maths, compared to 1 in 5 boys, with women occupying only 23 percent of professional IT roles overall.

Through the grant, IYM hopes to expand their work to include more programmes that will reach more young women.

Currently IYM runs two key programmes:

• IYM Online where 100 students join a five-day online programme where they are exposed to the wide range of research and career opportunities available in STEMM
• IYM Residential where 40 students come together for a yearly week-long course where they experience the wide range of study, research and career opportunities available in Wellington.

This year’s residential programme kicked off on July 10 and key highlights included a hands-on session with JackBord Robotics, where attendees built mobile robots using electronics, science and robotic principles; learnt about space biology at New Zealand Astrobiology

Network’s amazing portable pop-up planetarium; and participated in an innovation Challenge where student teams designed and pitched smart city solutions to industry judges.

“Nearly 550 young women from around New Zealand have been impacted by IYM’s programmes to date,” Hughes says, “and of those, 80 percent of high school graduates who attended IYM are studying or working in STEMM.

“We are thrilled to have such a high success rate in encouraging women into further STEMM education and 3M’s grant will allow us to inspire so many more Kiwi women to enter STEMM.”

The generous grant from 3M aligns with the organisation’s commitment to improving lives through innovation and action.

Eleni Sideridis, Managing Director and General Counsel of 3M Australia and New Zealand says, “3M is committed to supporting outstanding Kiwi organisations who are aligned with our key values to improve lives and support communities.

“Innovative Young Minds is doing incredible work to encourage young Kiwi women into STEMM, and we hope our contribution will make a difference to empowering women to pursue STEMM.”

About 3M

3M believes science helps create a brighter world for everyone. By unlocking the power of people, ideas and science to reimagine what’s possible, our global team uniquely addresses the opportunities and challenges of our customers, communities, and planet. Learn how we’re working to improve lives and make what’s next at 3M.com/news or on Twitter at @3M or @3MNews.

Key Stats from IYM:

2022 residential programme

• 40 Year 11 and 12 young women took part
• 100% said they were satisfied with the programme
• 100% said the programme increased their interest in pursuing a STEMM career
• 100% would recommend the programme to a friend
• 100 contributors from 25 STEMM organisations

2022 online programme

• 100 Year 11 and 12 young women took part
• 100% said they were satisfied with the programme
• 100% said the programme increased their interest in pursuing a STEMM career
• 100% would recommend the programme to a friend
• 30 contributors from 10 STEMM organisations

Testimonials from IYM’s 2022 Programme

• “IYM further fuelled my fascination to learn more about the STEMM area. This set in stone my choice to pursue the three sciences and a math as my Year 12 and 13 subjects.”
• “The IYM Residential programme taught me so much and has opened my eyes to all the amazing opportunities and options in the STEMM world. I would not have known how to properly advance myself in my career and I would not have known about opportunities such as internships and part-time jobs at some of these institutions. I cannot emphasise enough how grateful I am to be able to be a part of IYM Residential.”
• “IYM 2022 has been one of the best opportunities I have ever had, I got to realise once again there are so many options and pathways for us to go into in STEMM.”

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