Reinvent the wheel, think critically, try to change the world and live only your life – this advice was given by the Deputy Minister of social policy of Ukraine on issues of European integration Tatiana Salnikova, Ukrainian secondary school students participating in the educational project STEM is FEM. To motivate girls, the Deputy Minister told his story of success.

“When I was 23, I was asked to reinvent the wheel. Ukraine was only the PAYG pension system, funded pension provision did not exist, although in the world then it worked. And it was my dream to create something that has never existed before. We started working with a small room, we were three people. We participated in creating the system that is now working in Ukraine. 24 it so happened that I became a co-author of software that helps people to control their retirement savings for a long time.“

In addition to Tatiana Salnikova their success stories the girls told the Deputy General Director of the digitization and innovation of GK Ukroboronprom Nadezhda Vasilyeva, Director of the Center for information and documentation of NATO in Ukraine Barbora Marenkova, Programme analyst, United Nations Fund for population UNFPA in Ukraine Natalia Kosovskaya and Advisor for foreign economic Affairs of the Embassy of the USA in Ukraine Megan Bouldin. They all became motivational speakers educational module FEM STEM is on the theme “Robotics and engineering”.

“The personal stories of successful women who share a STEM project is FEM, is not only an example and motivation for participating in the modules, but also a reminder that the voices of women scientists, women researchers and inventors should sound along with voices of men in scientific and technical fields. For this module we have enlisted the support of representatives of the Ministry of social policy of NATO in Ukraine, the UN Foundation, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. They talked about how was their career path, what challenges they had to face what they were looking for support. Familiarity with such role models will help the participants of the module to tie its future”, – says one of the initiators of the project STEM is FEM Sapar Karyagdiev.

Female participants took part in a master class on robotics, the competition of creative ideas and communicated with women industry. The goal is to motivate girls to consider robotics and engineering as a promising career.

“How to choose a profession among a large number available? You must have your own internal motivation. Why are you trying to do? Of course, we all want to change the world, but everyone has their own way. So just listen to yourself – what you enjoy? What you do not weary, but on the contrary, vdohnovlaet, when he worked all day? You know, there are different feelings when you come home after work. Or “am I shipped cars all day?”. Or another thing, when you come and eagerly tell all family you are today and you did and learned and then earned. That’s when you cause such a interest job, it is your profession, definitely”.

To see more of Ukrainian girls have chosen a profession related to the technological areas of STEM project is FEM every two months conducting the training modules. In addition to robotics, from September 2019, the project has conducted intensives on biotechnology, IT, environment and energy. Set the next module starts in may.