Viaq

Viaqua and its foundation, the Aquae Foundation, presented this morning at the City of Culture of Santiago de Compostela the Aquae STEM project, together with the Department of Education, University and Vocational Training, Carmen Pomar and the Councilor for Education Xuventude, Igualdade e Linguistic Policies of the City Council of Santiago de Compostela, Noa Díaz.

The implementation of the Aquae STEM project has a twofold objective: to contribute to the creation of STEM vocations (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among students in grades 2-6 of Primary Education; and sensitize the immediate environment of these students - classmates, teachers and families - to recognize and value this female talent.

The demand for STEM professionals grows to a greater extent than that of professionals from other sectors and the number of young people who opt for STEMs does not grow at the same rate. According to Eurostat data, in Spain, only 13 out of every 1,000 people have completed studies in these fields, of which only 26% are women.

Aquae STEM, provides for an estimated duration of 3 years (3 school courses), impacting 3,500 girls and 7,000 students, from 50 centers in Spain. To do so, different geographical areas were defined where the program will begin its performance. Specifically, in a first phase, Aquae STEM will be developed in localities of Galicia such as Santiago, Ourense and Pontevedra and other localities of the communities of Andalusia, Valencian Community, Region of Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla León. In Galicia, 10 centers will implement the project among their elementary students, currently schools such as Pío XII and Vilas Alborada, in Santiago; Santo André de Xeve, and Cabanas, of Pontevedra; or Luis Vives, Divina Pastora and Santa María, from Ourense; These are some of the centers that have already included Aquae STEM in their school programming.

The program is configured by a set of practical activities designed to arouse the interest of students in STEMs through the resolution of challenges, using innovation and creativity as vehicles to inspire them. These activities include debates and activities where challenges related to sustainable development will be raised, and more specifically about the world of water, which will be resolved through the design, programming and construction of prototypes, with the help of a kit with material that will be put to disposition of each participant

This program is based on five key principles: promoting STEM learning environments at very early school ages in a sustained manner over time; encourage girls' interest in STEM careers; favor girls' access to STEM experiences, through differentiated training processes, within the framework of a community of equals; build girls' confidence in their talent and skills for STEM environments, sharing experiences and results with their classmates; and involve families and the education sector.