Menlo Park, Calif. –
June 22, 2015 – The
Junior League of Palo Alto•Mid Peninsula (JLPA•MP) is partnering with Technovation,
the world’s largest mobile app entrepreneurship competition for girls, to
inspire the next generation of technology leaders. Technovation will benefit
from significant volunteer and outreach support from the JLPA•MP as the
organizations join forces to educate the female technology entrepreneurs of the
future.
In
this first joint project between JLPA•MP and Technovation, the organizations
will work together to address the shortage of girls who pursue STEM careers. JLPA•MP
volunteers will reach out to local teachers, women in technology, and community
leaders to educate them about Technovation’s free online curriculum and
competition, and equip them to lead Technovation groups in their schools and
neighborhoods. JLPA•MP will also provide support to volunteers throughout the
competition and organize local events related to the project.
Samantha
Quist, JLPA•MP member and the former executive director of Technovation, states,
“I’m proud to see JLPA•MP focusing on girls in STEM and working with
Technovation to bring mobile app development and entrepreneurship education to
more girls in our community.”
Studies
have shown that just 18% of computer science majors are women (a decrease from
35% of computer science graduates in 1985), and only 7% of technology
entrepreneurs are estimated to be women. JLPA•MP and Technovation aim to
improve the ratio of women in computer science and entrepreneurship by
providing training and education to young women in Santa Clara and San Mateo
counties.
Technovation
challenges girls ages 10 to 18 to create a mobile app and business plan to
address a real problem in their community. Bay Area students have chosen to
address issues including graffiti, bullying, and peer pressure in previous
years. The 2015-16 project will begin this fall as teachers, community members,
women in technology, and other volunteers register to participate in
Technovation. JLPA•MP is excited
to collaborate with volunteers and students as they begin work on
Technovation’s curriculum by January, in order to prepare their apps for
submission to Technovation’s international competition by next spring.
About the Junior League
of Palo Alto•Mid Peninsula, Inc.
The
Junior League of Palo Alto•Mid Peninsula, Inc. (JLPA•MP) is an organization of
women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and
improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained
volunteers. The JLPA•MP serves the Peninsula communities of Atherton, Belmont,
East Palo Alto, Foster City, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Mountain
View, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Carlos, Stanford, Sunnyvale
and Woodside, and invites women of all races, religions and national origins
who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to voluntarism to join our ranks.
For more information, visit www.thejuniorleague.org.
About Technovation
Technovation’s mission is to inspire and educate girls and
women to solve real-world problems through technology. Technovation began
as a pilot program in 2010 with just 45 girls. Over the past five years,
it has transformed from an in-person program taught by Technovation staff to a
global competition reaching thousands of girls in 28 countries. Technovation is a program of Iridescent, a 501c3 non-profit that trains engineers and
scientists to mentor young people, inspire them to develop a sense of wonder
about the world, and guide them in tackling real world challenges.
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