Million Girls Moonshot Comes to Pennsylvania! State's Afterschool Network Joins Nationwide Effort to Close the Gender Gap in STEM

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The STEM Next Opportunity Fund today announced a multi-year grant to Pennsylvania State Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) as part of the Million Girls Moonshot. The Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have joined STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to launch the Million Girls Moonshot. The effort is designed to engage one million school-age girls in the United States in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning opportunities over the next five years. The organizations will provide grant funding and in-kind resources to Mott-funded afterschool networks in all 50 states to increase access to hands-on, immersive STEM learning experiences. The first year Pennsylvania grant, just awarded, is for $55,500.

PSAYDN plans to use the funds to help afterschool programs in Pennsylvania provide STEM education. This includes supporting a statewide summer professional learning STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Academy, with educator instruction on the engineering mindset, entrepreneurship, service learning; and a focus on access, equity, cultural responsiveness and diversity. Educators will utilize this training for student lesson plans and projects in the fall of 2020 into the spring of 2021. Mott-sponsored partners in the project include VentureLab, Harvard PEAR, Techbridge Girls, National Youth Leadership Council as well as business partners (PNC bank, TALLO, and American Crane & Equipment Corporation) and Pennsylvania STEM Learning Ecosystems and Pennsylvania STEM Ambassadors. 

"The Million Girls Moonshot provides an extraordinary opportunity for afterschool programs in Pennsylvania to make an enormous impact on the lives of all our youth, and particularly our girls," said PSAYDN STEM coordinator Winnie Black. "The future economy of our state and our nation will rely heavily on the STEM fields, and afterschool programs are uniquely positioned to help prepare our youth for those career opportunities. We're deeply appreciative of the work of STEM Next, the Intel Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for their generous support, now and over the years."

"The Million Girls Moonshot harnesses the spirit of innovation – in philanthropy and in afterschool programming – to reimagine our nation's next generation of engineers, problem-solvers, builders and makers," said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Mott Foundation. "We're delighted that the Intel and Moore Foundations will join us in an effort to promote gender equity by empowering girls through STEM learning opportunities."

Just as the original moonshots of the 1960s and '70s united the nation behind a common goal and dramatically advanced scientific achievement, the Million Girls Moonshot aims to create a national movement to change the trajectory of women and girls in STEM. Led by STEM Next Opportunity Fund, the Million Girls Moonshot will tap a range of funding and programmatic partners, including NASA, Qualcomm, Technovation, STEMconnector, National Girls Collaborative Project, Jobs For The Future (JFF), Techbridge Girls and Lyda Hill Philanthropies.

"Every girl deserves access to high-quality education to achieve their dream career, regardless of their ZIP code or family's socioeconomic status," said Gabriela A. Gonzalez, deputy director, Intel Foundation. "The powerful synergies from collaborating with other organizations who share these values achieve a larger collective social impact to advance gender equity and parity in STEM fields, and more important, elevate girls' future prospects for a better quality of life. Equipping youth with emerging technology skills in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Internet of Things is also critical for an inclusive and diverse future workforce. By joining this movement, we are expanding, scaling and sustaining the spirit of Intel's She Will Connect signature initiative, which is something that no sole organization can do alone."

To support programs as they pivot to meet students' needs during the pandemic, the Million Girls Moonshot is providing PSAYDN and other state afterschool networks with technical assistance, educational resources, access to Intel's She Will Connect partners and mentorship from STEM experts including Intel employee volunteers.

Women make up half of the total U.S. college-educated workforce, but are vastly underrepresented in STEM fields, comprising just 16% of engineers, for example. Black and Latina women have even less representation, at approximately 2% each. With economic projections pointing to a need for one million more STEM professionals than the country will produce at its current rate over the next decade, engaging and keeping more girls in STEM pursuits will be critically important for solving our nation's most pressing challenges.

Over the past several decades, afterschool and other out-of-school-time programs have developed expertise in providing the kind of immersive, hands-on learning experiences that are critical to helping students gain fluency in STEM subjects. This school year, the opportunity is even greater as students and families face many more hours outside of the traditional classroom. From running STEM activities virtually and distributing STEM kits to students, to offering small group, in-person activities on remote school days and during traditional afterschool hours, afterschool programs have stepped up to keep students engaged and learning. The potential for impact is enormous: The nation's 100,000 afterschool programs serve more than 10 million young people.

The Million Girls Moonshot leverages more than $300 million in investments made by the Mott Foundation in the past two decades to advance afterschool programs and systems, including the development of afterschool networks in all 50 states, as well as Mizzen by Mott, an app that provides afterschool educators free access to high-quality content. Through consistent, equity-focused STEM programming and mentorship that engages girls throughout their youth, the Million Girls Moonshot will help weave together opportunities, ensuring that girls are inspired and supported to continue pursuing STEM in high school and beyond.

Learn more at MillionGirlsMoonshot.org.

About STEM Next Opportunity Fund

STEM Next Opportunity Fund is the legacy organization of the Robert D. Noyce Foundation and is dedicated to bringing high-quality STEM learning to millions of young people and closing the gender gap in STEM careers. As a national leader, strategic guide, policy advocate and investor, STEM Next is bringing about a transformative expansion of high-quality and inclusive STEM learning opportunities. By investing early in the lives of our children, we are transforming their lives and preparing them for the 21^st century economy. Learn more at https://stemnext.org/.

About the Pennsylvania State Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN)

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) promotes sustainable, high-quality out-of-school time youth development programs through advocacy and capacity building to enhance the welfare of Pennsylvania's children, youth and families. PSAYDN believes all children and youth deserve access to programs that encourage positive youth development and support the successful transition to adulthood. PSAYDN is managed by the Center for Schools and Communities, a division of Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. Learn more at www.PSAYDN.org.

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN)

Media contact: Aylissa Kiely, 717-903-0219, akiely.tyndale@csc.csiu.org

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SOURCE Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN)