Empower Girls’ Creativity Through Use of Digital Technologies Erasmus Project

Project Title

Empower Girls’ Creativity Through Use of Digital Technologies

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted daily lives for millions of young people in Europe and worldwide. Health and well-being problems, social distancing, barriers to access education had a great impact on young people. Exposure of digital technologies and creativity can play an important role to mitigate mentioned negative effects of the crisis on youth. By improving young people digital skills and teaching how to apply acquired digital knowledge to be creative could open windows for new opportunities. Knowledge of how to use different application or digital tools may encourage youth to develop digital creativity, produce digital creations and address the problems of the future.

As the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) outlines digital skills are essential so that everyone can take part in society and contribute to economic and social progress in the digital era. One of the strategic priorities is enhancement of digital skills and competences for the digital transformation including girls and young women are equally represented in digital studies and careers. However, while more people are digitally skilled and connected, still few women choose to participate beyond the basic level of digital interaction and rather stay the passive consumers of digital content created by others. According to statistics, in EU in 2019, women made up only a bit more than a third of scientists and engineers in the EU-28. According to the study Women in the Digital Age, the share of women graduates in the STEM industry stands at 13.1 per 1,000 graduates aged 20 to 29 in the EU.

At this point, there remains a particular concern that girls lack the aspirations to position themselves as potential creators of digital technology and it is clearly evident at secondary school. A study commissioned by the EC Survey of Schools: ICT in Education (2019) outlines that more than 4 out of 5 female European students attending secondary schools never or almost never engage in coding at school or after school activities. According statistics provided by the Government Strategic Analysis Center in Lithuania in 2018, percentage of girls who choose STEM studies after graduating school is about 9 percent every year. In high school, for example, 40 percent of girls believe that jobs requiring coding are “not for them”.

In the light of abovementioned figures and wrong assumptions association Rural Internet Access Points together with partner organizations from Lithuania, Greece, Slovenia and Portugal initiates a project Empower Girls’ Creativity Through Use of Digital Technologies (SparkDigiGirls). The aim of this initiative is encouraging girls aged from 15 years old to explore digital technologies such as AR, VR, AI, IoT and come up with new and exciting ideas by utilizing their newly acquired digital knowledge to chart the waters of the male-dominated STEM industry with fresh, different and creative viewpoints.

The proposal seeks to fulfill specific objectives: 1) reduce girls’ concerns and demystify existing stereotypes about computer science and technology; 2) increase of digital literacy skills for girls to open new and unforeseen possibilities for creativity, participation of girls in the digital world; 3) empower youth workers as mentors to pursue girls creativity through usage of digital applications and increase attractiveness of digital sector among girls.

The objectives of the proposal are organized in following elements:
1. To complete a twofold analysis of ways how innovative and new technologies may develop creativity of girls (IO1);
2. To develop a curriculum which meeting girls’ needs and leads to improvement and increase of their creativity through usage of innovative applications/digital tools (IO2);
1. To develop online programme focused on use practical experiential learning model and real life tasks that will allow girls to explore technologies and come up with new and exciting ideas and solutions for given problems. (IO3);
2. To implement digital female role model campaign (IO4);
3. To prepare guidebook empower youth workers as mentors to pursue girls’ creativity through usage of digital applications (IO5).

The main target groups that will be impacted by the project:
• 200 girls age from 15 who wish to develop their creativity by using digital technologies (including girls with lower opportunities like living in re(including girls with lower opportunities like living in remote areas, migrant girls, from families at risk, etc.).
• 40 youth workers from formal and non – formal youth education institutions.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 176337 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociacija “Viesieji interneto prieigos taskai” & Country: LT

Project Partners

• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE TOMAR
• HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY
• Simbioza Genesis, socialno podjetje
• INFORMACINIU TECHNOLOGIJU INSTITUTAS