Inspiring Girls in STEM
Mission:MathMinds is an international organization dedicated to inspiring girls to develop an interest in STEM through a math-first approach at an early age. Girls often experience math anxiety during elementary and middle school, which can adversely affect their academic performance, self-esteem, and career choices. This unique math-first approach aims to raise math awareness, bridge the anxiety gap, eliminate gender stereotypes, and connect girls to female role models in STEM.
Led by middle and high school girls, Mission:MathMinds conducts in-person STEM workshops, mentoring sessions, national conferences, and inspiring conversations with female role models. The organization also donates STEM kits and books to girls in local and international communities and encourages girls to be service-minded by providing volunteer opportunities that benefit the community.
Founded in June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mission:MathMinds delivered a girls-led mentor-mentee program, offering over 750 hours of math content in 500 sessions over six months, and inspiring over 1,900 girls. Parents were thrilled with this innovative program that changed their children's attitude towards math and reached underserved communities. High school girl volunteers earned service hours, creating a virtuous cycle of community impact.
The organization also aims to broaden access to female role models in STEM, creating the world's largest network of female role models through one-on-one video interviews published online in various fields, including geology, operations research, manufacturing and engineering, and politics.
A visit to Warsaw, Poland, in August 2022, highlighted the impact of Ukraine's war on children, interacting with displaced children, hosting math workshops, and spreading Mission:MathMinds' message. The organization donated $13,000 worth of books to Ukrainian schools and learned that Ukrainian girls did not view math as "geeky" or "nerdy.”
Mission:MathMinds has made considerable progress in recent years. This grassroots girls-led movement generated over 4,000 volunteer service hours, impacted more than 15,000 girls through female role models and mentoring initiatives, and generated over $272,000 worth of economic impact from community-oriented efforts. The organization collected over 15,000 books, valued at over $160,000, and donated $32,500 to local schools and children-support programs.
Mission:MathMinds is steadfast in its commitment to empowering girls through a math-first approach. Seeing the impact on young girls has been incredibly rewarding, as girls now talk positively about math and are inspired to pursue a future in STEM with female leaders.
For more information, visit http://missionmathminds.org/