CAMPAIGN: Girls Day!

What is Girls day?

Every fourth Thursday of April technical enterprises, enterprises with technical departments and trainings, universities and research centers all over the World open their doors to primary school students.

On this day girls attend training and study courses in technology, IT, craft and science, at the same time they have the opportunity to meet female role models in leadership positions in business or politics. Participants experience e.g. involvement in work of laboratories, offices and factories. Girls have insight into the practice of various areas and practice their skills in technical fields. They receive direct answers to their questions and socialize.

The Girls' Day is also the largest careers project for students. Thought events and activities this campaign connects girls with science and technology, companies and organizations empowering them to be more involved, educated and take career in information communication technologies.

Today vocational education has been defined by different criteria, when choosing occupation young people put attractive professions first. Gender stereotypes have great influence when choosing a career, this also affects career advancement opportunities. Although women and men have the same choices of careers there is still a strong line between typically male and female occupations.

This creates a picture for boys and girls to see their future through predefined sides which effects the diversity of their future perspective. Even though girls tend to have better results at school they still disproportionately decide to take a typical female occupations or fields which make their future career options not fully opened, while engineering and computer science are clearly underrepresented.

Girls' day projects and events are organized in order to spread awareness about limited career choices, to encourage girls not to let their career path be defined by stereotypes but personal interest and talents. There should be more girls in technology, computer science, new communication media, engineering… This is the opportunity to get to know with all the areas of career spectrum, make their networks, make contacts for their future career and be inspired with women on leadership positions.

Girls Day and Schools School is a place where students are also educated about their future, choices ahead of them and the importance of every day.

By organizing different projects, within Girls day, schools offer to students the possibility to explore atypical gender occupations. Create environment for them to develop ideas about their life and profession orientation for occupations that are not gender neutral. By learning more about the world of work and their personal ability, while having a chance to experience some occupations, participants find out more about career opportunities and training.

These actions appose to the prejudices built on social role models and preset limitations. These projects send the message that professional are not gender bound.

Schools have the opportunity to influence the mindset, develop students offering them the chance to get to know and understand the possibilities for career development and improvement of their life. Professional orientation gives good results when it's treated as joint venture of school, other educational organizations, companies and parents.

To learn more and download materials, click here. Also see the attached toolkit.