The INSPIRA project, based on awareness-raising and guidance actions, will be carried out by women professionals from the world of research, science and technology. This is the first time that the group mentoring technique will be used in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) promotion project among primary students (it will be launched with girls from 5th to 6th grade). In the pilot phase of INSPIRA, 17 women will volunteer as consultants. All of them are scientists and technologists working in different fields: education, business, research, management, etc.

More than two hundred girls from twelve schools throughout the CAPV will participate in seven working sessions in which they will discuss topics as varied as the stereotypes that surround us, the work or linking women and science in history. The objective of these meetings between the consultant and the girls is to help them solve their difficulties or doubts about the scientific and technological professions, to clarify their motivations and, if they wish, to strengthen their self-esteem to start this professional career.

INSPIRA is born from the need to promote scientific and technological vocations among Basque students and, above all, to foster vocation among girls. The number of students choosing technology education decreases year after year. And if you look at women, the data is much more obvious. Although 54.3% of students in the Spanish university system are women, the percentage of women in degrees in technical areas such as engineering and architecture drops to 26.4%.

The INSPIRA project is promoted by the Elhuyar Foundation and the University of Deusto, in collaboration with Innobasque and with the collaboration of the FECYT (Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology-Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness).

Project in 6 keys

• We want to give new references of close technologists.
• Let children know the STEAM professions.
• Raise awareness of the need to achieve the development of the country between men and women.
• Sensitization and orientation towards technological studies.
• Visualize and value technologists.

Publicize existing stereotypes in society so that they do not influence the choice of studies.

Presentation of the project

INSPIRA will be presented tomorrow at the University of Deusto. The event, which will take place at 10:00 hours in the Auditorium, will be attended by Asier Perallos, dean of the Faculty of Engineering: Alberto Bokos, Director of Collaborative Innovation of Innobasque; Aitziber Lasa, Head of Education of the Scientific Unit of Elhuyar, and advisor, 10 of 17 consultants; project work team and girls and boys from some of the organizations participating in the project.