EY STEM Tribe mobile platform to support the next generation of girls in STEM careers

India - English

- Free platform creates a virtual global community

- Encourages learning around UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030

- Collaboration with Tribal Planet for platform focused on girls aged 13-18

- Initially connects more than 6,000 girls in Delhi schools; Atlanta and Seattle to follow

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Oct 11, 2019, 07:36 ET

LONDON and NEW DELHI, Oct. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EY today announced the development of a mobile platform in collaboration with Tribal Planet to help girls 13-18 years of age pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers.

The EY STEM Tribe platform engages girls on their mobile devices with an entertaining and gamified STEM experience and was developed working with Tribal Planet, a Silicon Valley-based company that develops innovative platforms and ecosystems to engage global citizens around social impact priorities. The app is available for free on Android and iOS platforms in Delhi and will be available in Atlanta and Seattle in the future.

The EY STEM Tribe platform features modules focused on science, such as climate change or space exploration; technology, such as artificial intelligence, 3D printing or blockchain; the future of work and skills that may be required for future, yet-to-be-defined jobs; and inspirational stories of women in STEM.

Rajiv Memani, Chairman and EY India Regional Managing Partner, says:

"As technology continues to shape the future, it has become imperative to provide equal opportunity for girls to pursue high-growth STEM careers. We are pleased to launch this global initiative in India that will enable STEM learning for 6,000 girls across 45 private and government schools in the Delhi National Capital Region, which has the potential to scale rapidly, empowering young girls to learn STEM in a pragmatic and contemporary manner."

Girls choose topics based on their interests. To help incentivize learning, they earn points as they complete an activity, such as reading an article, interviewing members of their community, completing an experiment or watching a video.

As girls build their "rewards wallet" and see points accumulate, they redeem points in three ways: fun rewards include STEM-related products; important rewards include work shadowing opportunities or virtual mentoring sessions on topics such as building a CV, honing interviewing skills or understanding how millennials engage in the workplace; or lasting rewards, where they choose to donate their points to a non-profit cause of their choice related to empowerment of girls and women. The point donations are converted into a monetary donation by Tribal Planet to the non-profit. Girls' parents and their schools' teachers also have access to the platform.

Dan Higgins, EY Global Advisory Technology Consulting Leader, says:

"The EY STEM Tribe digital platform forms a part of the EY Women in Technology movement across the globe, aimed at supporting gender parity in the technology space and reinforcing the EY commitment to building a better working world. This platform will help girls to build a passion for STEM, learn new concepts and apply them in real life, and most importantly, will inspire even more girls across the world to embark on STEM careers. We purposely chose the themes and designed the platform to trigger real-life actions, where girls can reach out to their communities, individually or collectively, and make a greater impact on society."

The EY Women in Technology Program was formed to create an inclusive culture to successfully harness technology's potential to truly transform society. By educating women and girls, incubating their leadership potential and innovating new ways to empower a diverse workforce, the EY organization supports the closing of the gender gap and nurturing an environment where everyone can become an architect of the transformative age. EY teams support women in tech through education by investing in educational products and programs that drive awareness and participation that encourage girls and women to enter and remain in STEM fields of study and careers.

Amanda Gethin, EY Global Talent Leader, Advisory, says:

"Technology jobs are increasing – but so is the gender gap. As a result, we need to change the talent pipeline and address this gap, lighting the spark to help ensure that women have equal chances to enter, remain and thrive in the technology industry."

STEM activities on the platform are developed with leading educational institutions around the world. The EY STEM Tribe platform is fully aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Goals and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) framework for transferrable skills, such as analytical thinking or problem-solving.

In addition to earning rewards points, girls earn digital badges aligned with the UN SDGs to help them better understand the goals and empower them to have a personal impact related to the SDGs they care about the most. As they participate in SDG-related activities, their badge levels increase.