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Auckland, March 9, 2017
Entrepreneurial skills are increasingly important for people wanting to stay relevant in today’s changing workplace, and a new programme aims to ensure New Zealand girls do not get left behind.
Girls Mean Business (GMB), a New Zealand-based social enterprise, has successfully piloted a holiday programme for girls aged 9-12 years from decile 2 and decile 9 schools in Auckland.
The Programme involved 19 girls learning about the tools and mindset needed for turning an idea into a successful venture.
“GMB is helping young girls like me to discover their business potential,” Samantha said.
Samantha (11), from Hunua School, took part in the pilot.
“I learnt that it is not always going to be easy – it takes a lot of hard work, and a group of people around you that are going to help you on the way…it takes drive, you’ve got to be motivated and confident,” she said.
Hunua School principal Heather Frost said, “The children were buzzing, full of ideas for things that they wanted to try. It is important for all children to have an opportunity to learn these skills but girls in particular, because often things are directed towards boys.”
University Partnership
GMB has partnered with The University of Auckland and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to develop ways of fostering the entrepreneurial mindset in girls through programmes for primary school and high school students.
It was co-created by Chris Woods, an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Auckland Business School, and Laura Sessions, an entrepreneur with a PhD in science communication and owner manager based in Christchurch.
US-based geophysicist and entrepreneur Shannon McDaniel joined the team in August 2016.
“Whether girls want to go into business, they can benefit hugely from having an entrepreneurial mindset. This mindset includes things like being innovative and creative, seeing opportunities, coping with ambiguity, being willing to take risks, and to celebrate and learn from failure,” Dr Woods said.
“Many of today’s careers will not exist in 10 years, and the world is a far more unpredictable place than ever before. Having a portfolio of transferable skills is one of the best ways to stay relevant in such an environment.”
Girls start opting out of so-called STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) during their high school years, and by adulthood the gender gap in STEM-related jobs is stark – for example, only 13 percent of those employed in engineering and architecture are women.
“We say ‘girls can do anything’, but the tragedy is that many girls believe that they cannot dot,” Dr Woods said.
Troubling research results
She points to troubling research findings showing the limiting power of cultural stereotypes:
A study published in Science this year reported that girls as young as six believe men are inherently smarter and more talented than women, and that being ‘brilliant’ is a male quality.
Another study found that American parents are two and a half times more likely to Google “Is my son gifted?” than “Is my daughter gifted?”, while parents Googled “Is my daughter overweight?” roughly twice as frequently as they Googled “Is my son overweight?”
A third study published in Science in 2015 found that in fields where people thought raw, innate talent was required for success, academic departments had lower numbers of women
“Two of the most important risk factors that may explain why girls lose the belief that they can succeed in certain fields are a lack of self-confidence and a lack of female role-models.
That is why GMB is developing programmes to encourage girls to step outside their comfort zone, and challenge them to do things they might not have thought possible,” she said.
Unique Programme
The GMB team is putting together a unique travel and mentoring programme for secondary school-aged girls between New Zealand and the United States, in which adult women mentor high school students, who then mentor primary school students.
They are also in talks with the Faculty of Education and Social Work at The University of Auckland about training up student teachers to deliver the primary school holiday programmes, which they will start rolling out across the country from next year.
Content Supplied by University of Auckland Business School
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