Technovation teaches girls how to use technology to solve real-world problems—and to become leaders

By Maggie Jaris, Director of Content Strategy at Technovation.

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are excited to showcase the systemic change young people can make in their communities when their afterschool programs support them to layer action onto their STEM learning. If you would like to know more or submit a blog about your youth action program, please contact us.

Every year between January and April, thousands of girls around the world embark on a journey to make their communities safer, cleaner, healthier, kinder, and more sustainable. They're participating in Technovation Girls, a free program for girls ages 8-18 that helps girls develop technical, business, creative, and communication skills. Girls work in teams, supported by adult volunteers who mentor, encourage, and help keep the girls on track to submit to the competition at the end of the program, and every team begins the season facing the same questions—what problem do you want to solve? And how can you use technology to solve it?

In answering those questions, girls brainstorm and discuss the problems that matter most to them and their communities. They learn about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and consider how their problems fit into the issues the SDGs were set up to solve, they do community surveys, and prototype their project ideas on paper. And then, they begin to build a  mobile app or AI-powered tool to address the issue they've selected. The girls are guided through every step by a curriculum that breaks down complex technological and business concepts into manageable chunks and also offers guidance around 'softer' skills like working as part of a team, project management, and communication. The girls are also supported by volunteer mentors and volunteer ambassadors, who support several teams of girls in their region. By the end of the program, girls have developed a working prototype, a business plan outlining their next steps, including how to launch the project into the market, and a summary of what they've learned and accomplished over the past 12 weeks. Teams submit all of this to the global competition for the chance to win scholarship funds to further their education.

And then, some girls return to do it all again the next season. Girls who return can continue working on the app they worked on the previous season, or can start an entirely new project, and many of them recruit more girls to join them. Participating for one season equips girls with skills they'll need for the future, no matter their career or education path—basic technical literacy, business fundamentals, creative problem solving and troubleshooting—but girls also graduate from the program with a sense of pride and confidence in their abilities to complete difficult projects and effect real change in their community. Participating for multiple years only amplifies this confidence and belief in their own potential, and it lasts far beyond the program's conclusion. One alumna recently reached out to tell us that she got accepted into MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Yale and to thank the program for building her confidence. "I couldn't have done it without your continued support and believing in a 13-year old girl." Another alum shared a similar story—she was accepted into more than 20 universities, including Berkley and Stanford, and felt that her two-time participation in Technovation was a huge part of her journey—"it was after Technovation Girls that I became interested in STEM and started my startup journey."

It's not just these two incredible young women either. 76% of alumnae go on to pursue STEM degrees, and 60% go on to work in STEM careers. But we don't just measure success by the number of girls pursuing STEM after high school—we also track how many girls start their own companies (36% of alumnae over the age of 18) and how many continue to take actions to improve their communities and/or address gender inequality (53%). Most of the girls who participate in Technovation Girls turn around and use the skills and confidence they developed to give back to their communities, other girls, and the world beyond.

Technovation Girls is designed to be free and adaptable to every location's needs. We have over 130 Chapters who run the program around the world, recruiting girls, mentors, hosting season launch and end of season events, supporting girls and adapting the curriculum to meet the needs and constraints of their local area. The program is also possible to complete entirely online. We know girls have big ideas to change the world and create the future they want to live in—they just need the right opportunities and support.

 The 2023 Technovation Girls season is closed, but visit Technovation.org to learn more about Technovation, Technovation Girls, and how to get involved. Registration for the next season of Technovation Girls will open in October 2023, and the program will officially begin in January 2024—you can sign up to get an email letting you know when registration opens.