Empowering Young Women to Dream Big, Lead Boldly & Break Barriers
This past weekend, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology concluded the first-ever STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) Festival in San Ignacio. The project was supported by the Skills for the Future programme and the Inter-American Development Bank. Karla Gonzalez, the IDB Representative in Belize, shared her thoughts: “Belize, like the rest of the world, needs more women studying maths and science and leading research, and who knows, in the future maybe we will get a Nobel Prize.”
The programme began with a one-week primary school camp, which involved 17 primary schools from across the country and over 300 girls from Standards 4-6. Dr Consuelo Godfrey, the consultant for Girls in STEAM, said, “The goal was for those girls to be exposed to all aspects of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.”
The secondary school camp ran for two weeks and focused on utilising technology across all areas of STEAM. The girls had the opportunity to see STEAM in action through visits to locations such as the Esquivel Apiary in Corozal, the Hydro Belize Chalillo Dam in Cayo, Solar Sisters in San Pedro Columbia, and T.R.E.E.S. along the Hummingbird Highway. Speaker Keila Mai shared this advice: “Every time I felt like an outsider or felt that heavy weight of a male-dominated field, I leaned into my curiosity. Curiosity leaves no room for fear.”
The event concluded with a showcase of the projects the girls brought to life, as well as an award ceremony recognising those whose projects stood out above the rest. Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora stated, “When we first envisioned this programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, our ambition extended far beyond teaching coding, robotics or artificial intelligence. We set out to create something transformational: an extracurricular programme that would inspire girls to see themselves not simply as users of technology, but as innovators, creators, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders.”