“Digital Girls”, 26 Summer Camps to Enthuse Students in Technology

• April 26, 2024
• admin

There will be 26 free summer camps 2024 of “Digital Girls”, dedicated to female students who want to test and increase their digital skills. They are financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region with over 280 thousand euros coming from the European Social Fund Plus: almost double the resources allocated last year (150 thousand euros), which will allow to organise 10 more camps, to reach also mountain and inland areas. The project is aimed at overcoming stereotypes, supporting girls in choosing a university path in the technical-scientific disciplines and thus reducing the gender gap in digital. The training experiences will be organised during the summer period and will involve the students of the third and fourth years of secondary schools (higher). Where the camps will take place 14 fields will be hosted in the 10 capital cities (some will host several editions) thanks to the universities present in the region that offer highly digitally oriented degree courses (University of Bologna, University of Ferrara, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Parma, as well as the Politecnico di Milano on the Piacenza headquarters). The universities will provide classrooms and research laboratories. Another 12 camps are provided in non-university municipalities, in the spaces provided by schools and other institutions. The planned locations are in Castelnovo ne’ Monti, Correggio, Guastalla and Montecchio Emilia (RE); Finale Emilia and Mirandola (MO), San Giovanni in Persiceto and Casalecchio di Reno (BO); Imola; 100 and Jolanda of Savoy (FE); Lugo (RA). In addition to deepening the technical and scientific disciplines, participants will be involved in training workshops, dissemination and awareness-raising seminars, but also in university orientation activities. They will develop in a fun and creative way digital projects such as apps, artificial intelligence products, video games. They will also take part in guided tours in the places of excellence of technological innovation in Emilia-Romagna. The dates and methods of registration will be communicated later. The summer camps can reach up to 52 hours of total activities to guarantee the best educational and experiential quality for the participants. “One in three companies in Italy says they have difficulty finding ICT specialists, but of about 73 thousand science graduates, women are only 39 %,” commented the Councilors for the Digital Agenda and School, Paola Salomoni, and Equal Opportunities, Barbara Lori -. In Emilia-Romagna we want to overcome barriers that continue to undermine equal rights and career opportunities. This year the offer of free training extends in the territories, reaching indoor and mountain areas: girls must have access to digital culture regardless of where they come from. A project that is giving good results – the councillor concluded – and on which we have decided to strengthen the investment”.

• More information about “Digital Girls” at the ER Digitale website

Original article published on school.regione.emilia-romagna.it