Pencils sharpened, book bag is full, learning caps on – yes, we are ready for BACK-TO-SCHOOL! It’s not only school time for many of the regions of the world – it is for g4g too.
September is always this exciting time for us as we jump into the calendar year full of creativity and anticipation for new discoveries and new opportunities.
Ready to grab your school bag & join us?!
Creativity and excitement at our last g4g @work in Tessenderlo with Stanley Black & Decker!
New partnerships
New great partners joining our g4g crew
Let’s start with our amazing news… September brings two new partners: Bridgewater State University and Amazon!
BSU and g4g have been working together for a few years now, and we are thrilled to announce that an official global partnership has now been established. In true g4g spirit, we will continue encouraging girls in STEM with exciting g4g Days @BSU, but in addition we are thinking of mentorship programs, internship programs, training for teachers… and so much more!
With Amazon, we are incredibly excited to launch two events in October: registrations are now open for Madrid on Oct. 20 and in Barcelona on Oct. 27! What will we be doing? Well, we’re getting a first-hand peek at the Amazon robotics in their distribution centres as well as meet inspiring Amazon team members. Register now and stay tuned for more!
Sprinting into September with 5 g4g events
Within the short time spa of a few weeks, we flew from one end of the world to another – and held three events in Belgium, one in Poland and one in Brazil. Whew! Our arms are tired. (That’s called a “Dad joke”).
On Sept. 15, we kicked-off things with Stanley Black & Decker for our g4g@work in Tessenderlo, Belgium. The team headed to the largest Distribution Centre for Stanley – where 35 enthusiastic and excited kids were ready to see and use the SBD tools & equipment. The Mayor of Tessenderlo, Mr. Fons Verwimp, joined our Welcome Ceremony – and then the students dived into the science fun. On the menu today was yummy polymer worms made of honey, ketchup and berries (and yes, some decided to mix all three flavours into one…. Maybe this wasn’t SO yummy). They then made a copper chandelier in the very cool Stanley Black & Decker tool room. Our favourite quote of the day? Upon entering the company, we loved hearing one young girl exclaim, “I can’t wait to see where Mommy works!”
Next, Alex and Marie joined the g4g Poland team for the 4th g4g Day@Krakow with Cisco and so many incredible partners! 145 girls aged 10-15 joined us for a full day of STEM discovery. At the AGH University, the girls explored interactive and tech-filled workshops such as “Design thinking with Harry Potter”, “Cars of the future”, “Robot Turtles Coding Game” … Intrigued?! Have a look at our photo album here and be ready, more photos to come soon!
This month at Euroclear, Brussels Giving Day was held – and the g4g team was invited to lead a unique event for a group of 10 girls. Deborah and Alex, accompanied by the Euroclear team, brought the girls to take a look around the Euroclear office before starting experimenting DNA extraction, robotics and snap circuits with fun hands-on workshops!
On Sept. 25 & 26, one of our g4g Board Members, Sarah Thomas, joined the incredible g4g Brazil team led by our g4g Country Manager, Kelly Torres. Held in the mountains of Ouro Branco, this is our 5th g4g Day at the University UFSJ. And what's more incredible - this event reaches 350 girls in the area! These future scientists and engineers had the chance to meet incredible role models throughout this 2-day event. The Opening Ceremony brought forward our #SuperScientists PhD Kelly Torres, PhD Regina Pinto, PhD Natália Landin and PhD Érica Gravina, before heading to the hands-on workshops. Our signature DNA extraction workshop fascinated the girls (“What? Wait… I can SEE my DNA in a test tube?!”). And they studied the MOON! Yes, the workshop about Astronomical Observation allowed the girls to observe Venus, Mars, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and its 4 moons: Europa, Ganímedes, Io and Calisto! In addition to the Astronomical Observation, girls experienced physics first-hand, made paper helicopters, created a celestial chart, and made crystals, vulcano and minerals from scratch!
Finally, at the very end of this month, we held our first makerspace of the season. This time around, kids put their design thinking caps on and thought about… what the future for homes look like? After designing and drawing their ideas to think about improvements, new technologies and better sustainability, they brought them to life by building models of their inventions using microbits. Ideas were plentiful and we can’t wait to see if the homes of 2030 will indeed have any walls that move to face the sun, foldable walls, underwater features, detachable rooms or scanning fridge…!
In a few words: September was captivating! Our book bags are now definitely full with new knowledge – but there is always room for more!
Are you ready for October? WE ARE! Look out for g4g events in Belgium, Spain, UK, US and India.
Buckle up greenlight girls, we are on our way!
