In spring 2024, Serhii Tokarev, a well-known IT entrepreneur, announced the news of the creation of the first STEM ecosystem in Ukraine. The project, organized as part of a Ukrainian educational initiative, aimed to ensure equal opportunities for girls in the field of science and technology. It will also be able to unite various institutions, specialists, and concepts aimed at developing the STEM sector.
In 2019, the project that Serhii Tokarev spoke about started with a clear mission. The main goal of the team was to stimulate the interest of Ukrainian girls in science and technology. Their goal was to represent the diversity of industries and introduce participants to successful women who have achieved significant heights in STEM. Moreover, the project sought to provide girls with additional information about potential career opportunities, opening up their horizons in the world of science and innovation.
The implementation of the SHE is SCIENCE art project has become a significant achievement of the STEM is FEM team. Under the guidance of the project, Ukrainian illustrators created portraits of 12 outstanding Ukrainian women scientists, whose work made significant contributions to various fields of science. The works of art were presented internationally, including an exhibition at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. In addition, the project stimulated educational activity by introducing a series of “Urbanism” lessons on the Diia.Education platform, which made it an important step in promoting science education in Ukraine. In 2023, STEM is FEM was awarded the title of “Honorary Ambassador of Ukraine in the field of scientific, and educational diplomacy” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, highlighting his contribution to the development of education and culture of the country.
According to Serhii Tokarev, the STEM is FEM team realized that they had enough resources, experience, and knowledge to do more and achieve important changes. Therefore, an important decision was made to launch the first STEM ecosystem in Ukraine. The main idea of the project is to be a guide for Ukrainian girls who are interested in STEM and dream of a career in this field.
With the rapidly evolving science and technology industries, the new STEM ecosystem is at the forefront of bringing together three important communities. The first community, STEM is FEM Community, is a source of inspiration and learning for girls aged 14 to 22, where they will have the opportunity to develop their skills under the guidance of experienced mentors and receive critical support in shaping their careers. The second community, Alumni STEM is FEM Club, opens doors to young women by deepening their knowledge and experience in STEM fields so they can become mentors to the next generation of participants. The third community, STEM is FEM Teachers Platform, becomes a hub for teachers to share knowledge and experience, helping them update their teaching methods and expand their digital competencies, as well as providing support in their mentoring activities.
According to Serhii Tokarev and Elizaveta Korenko, the head of STEM is FEM, the current focus of the project is to establish sustainable functioning of all three communities. The team aims to regularly organize meetings and provide girls with a big choice of educational programs, internships, scholarships, and employment opportunities. As part of the ecosystem, the project will invite Ukrainian and foreign experts and mentors who are ready to share their knowledge and experience with participants in all three communities. In addition, the project actively interacts with educational institutions, businesses, and the government of Ukraine to ensure maximum benefit from its activities.
