Mastercard has reiterated its commitment to reach one million girls globally by 2025 with its Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme tagged ‘Girls4Tech.’
In a statement in Lagos, it said the programme, which is currently in its fifth year, has reached more than 400,000 girls (ages 8-12) in 25 countries, “more than doubling its established 2017 goal.”
It noted that Mastercard has been cultivating young technology enthusiasts as part of its signature education platform, Girls4Tech.
“Today, as Mastercard marks the 5th anniversary of the programme, the company builds on a successful track record of impact with an even more ambitious commitment to reach 1M girls by 2025,” it stated.
It will be recalled that Mastercard created Girls4Tech in April 2014 to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers through a fun, engaging curriculum built around global science and math standards.
The programme incorporates Mastercard’s deep expertise in payments technology and innovation, and includes topics such as encryption, fraud detection, data analysis and digital convergence.
“Today, we celebrate the 400,000 girls who gained new STEM skills through the Girls4Tech programme and learned that a future in technology can and should include them,” says Susan Warner, senior vice president of Global Volunteerism at Mastercard.
“We hope to have sparked many future careers in STEM fields, because gender parity in tech will ultimately make all companies – and our society at large – better and stronger,” she added.
…Unveils new curriculum
As technology skills continue to evolve, the Girls4Tech programme is launching a new curriculum to give girls deeper exposure to the growing fields of Cybersecurity and AI.
Furthermore, to continue the engagement with girls who have already participated in the programme, Mastercard is launching Girls4Tech 2.0.
Designed for older students, ages 13-16, the new programme aims to keep girls excited about STEM throughout the critical high school years and also emphasizes important 21st century skills – such as collaboration, creativity and communication – as they work in teams to apply their technical knowledge to solve real-world challenges.
… unveils new partnerships to expand reach and narrow the gender gap in STEM education
Girls4Tech works with a network of global partners to increase the reach and impact of its programme.
In the U.S., Mastercard and Scholastic will continue their partnership into 2020, building upon a successful first year.
The custom, co-branded programme will expand the Girls4Tech curriculum with new themes in privacy, AI and algorithms.
In partnership with American Airlines, Mastercard will host its first Girls4Tech “Takes Flight brainathon.”
The two-day event will challenge 50 girls to innovate solutions to humanitarian challenges outlined by the United Nations on gender equality; smart cities and sustainability; health and wellbeing; and quality education.
In Ireland, in partnership with the golf organization R&A, Mastercard recently launched an evergreen golf-themed version of the programme where girls gain exposure to STEM through a deeper dive into the business and science of golf.
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