Technovation is Building a Movement to Reach and Support 25 Million Girls and Young Women to Become Technology Innovators and Changemakers in the Next 15 Years

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Oct 11, 2022, 08:47 ET

Girls and mentors worldwide can start registering for 2023 Technovation Girls season starting Oct. 11

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This year is the 10th anniversary of the UN's International Day of the Girl, a moment to increase attention on issues that matter to girls among governments, policymakers and the general public. To honor this day, Technovation, the nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women to use tech innovations to solve real world problems in their communities, announces the start of registration for the Technovation Girls 2023 season.

The non-profit is building a movement to reach and support 25 million girls and young women to become technology leaders and entrepreneurs in the next 15 years. Registration runs from Oct. 11 through March 22 and is open to girls worldwide ages 8 to 18. Every year, thousands of girls participate in Technovation's 12-week program, where teams of girls engage with Technovation's online curriculum, which includes age-appropriate learning modules on key concepts in STEM. Teams conclude the program with a working prototype for an app meant to solve a real-world problem in their community. Here are examples of the profound apps winners created during the 2022 season. Technovation has chapters in more than 50 countries around the world.

For the 2023 season, Technovation is unveiling an updated curriculum for its junior (ages 13-15) and senior (ages 16-18) divisions. The reformatted curriculum aims to increase accessibility—it is concise and more interactive, creating an engaging learning experience for students. As girls continue to face unprecedented challenges around the world, Technovation is committed to give support, resources, and opportunities to develop their skills so they can be local and global changemakers.

"We need to rethink how we educate and empower girls worldwide, moving beyond just basic literacy or ownership of mobile phones—which is how progress is currently measured by the UN," said Tara Chklovski, CEO and founder of Technovation. "We need to measure success by the number of women who are actually developing technology, leading innovation in their respective communities, and driving progress along the way. We've been failing them for far too long. This is why we're seeking to empower 25 million girls in 15 years, part of our movement toward lasting gender equity in education worldwide."

Through its yearly program, Technovation has refined this curriculum over 16 years, reaching 370,000 participants in 120-plus countries. After completing the program, 76% of Technovation alumni pursue STEM degrees, while 60% work in STEM careers.

Technovation is also launching a new Mentor Curriculum in 2023, which provides additional support and guidance to mentors. The new material is part of an initiative to help mentors feel more prepared and supported throughout the whole program. Mentors meet one-on-one with teams, either virtually or in-person, to help girls navigate the lessons and support them as they develop a technological solution to a problem in their community. Technovation also facilitates an online mentor community where mentors can get support from our team and each other.

How the program works

Technovation's mission is to equip girls and young women around the world to become tech leaders, innovators, and changemakers. Technovation's curriculum specifically teaches computational thinking, machine learning, block coding, understanding and using data, AI ethics, and prototyping in addition to other key technology concepts. Their learning model differentiators help girls develop greater self-efficacy and change their attitudes towards STEM through:

Real-world problem solving
Use of cutting-edge technology, particularly AI
Mentoring

The program uses a three-part learning model that aims to help girls develop agency and view STEM as a real pathway to better career opportunities. First, participants identify real-world problems in their communities that technology can solve. Next, they build a team of peers supported by a mentor. Participants work together for 12 weeks to build an app or train a model that solves the problem they've identified. Technovation anticipates bringing back in-person regional pitch events for communities around the world to gather and celebrate the work of the girls who participated.

With the support of their volunteer mentors, girls work in teams to code mobile apps that address real-world problems. Many girls who take part in the program go on to obtain Computer Science, Data Science, or Engineering jobs with large companies, such as Shopify, Google, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Amazon and Meta.

For more information and to learn how to register, visit: https://technovationchallenge.org/

About Technovation

Technovation is a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls to become more confident leaders, creators and problem-solvers. Technovation offers engaging, student-centered learning programs in which girls ages 8-18 learn how to use AI and app-based technologies to solve real-world problems. Technovation partners with global organizations like UNICEF, UNESCO and UN Women, and with mentors from companies like Salesforce, Adobe, Shopify, IBM, Google, Oracle, Globant, Ericsson, Intel, HSBC and Microsoft to reach girls and families in more than 100 countries. To learn more, visit technovation.org.

You may also connect with Technovation on Instagram (www.instagram.com/technovationglobal), Facebook (www.facebook.com/technovationglobal), Twitter (www.twitter.com/technovation), Tik Tok (www.tiktok.com/technovation) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/TechnovationGlobal).

Media Contacts

Bob Spoerl, for Technovation
[email protected]
773.453.2444

SOURCE Technovation