Inspiring girls from rural schools to pursue science and technology subjects
MINT-Impulse an der Schule, run by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), encourages girls aged 14-16 to study Mathematics, Information Technology, Natural Sciences and Technology (MINT) by providing an inspirational STEM project-day and enrichment activities, boosting confidence and breaking down in-grained gender stereotypes. The project funded by The Hg Foundation, reaches around 400 girls per year at select schools in rural Bavaria, which struggle to take part in extracurricular programmes because of a lack of resources and geographic isolation.
Instructors from TUM travel to the schools to run specially developed STEM activities across a full school day, giving the girls the chance to explore hands-on experimentation and learn about STEM fields. The programme is complemented by various follow-up sessions and opportunities to join a wider range of enrichment activities run by the university and its partners.
The Hg Foundation also supports the project’s longitudinal study to capture long-term influences on confidence in STEM, the girls' views on gender stereotypes, alongside academic and career choices.
Thinking outside the box and beyond! Our girls are shown completely new perspectives on the STEM world in an entertaining, varied and everyday way.
Our programme aims to inspire girls to explore the diverse world of science and technology and to strengthen their confidence in their own abilities. Key to its success are our gender-sensitive workshop concepts as well as direct interaction with our young female workshop leaders, who act as authentic role models. Our partnership with The Hg Foundation enables us to bring to life the exciting opportunities that a career in STEM can offer. We greatly value not only the financial support, but also the close and constructive exchange – both with The Hg Foundation’s team and with other funded projects. This collaboration provides important impulses and plays a key role in helping us continuously refine and further develop our programme.
