The Elevating Girls & Young Women in STEM initiative is designed to celebrate the commendable accomplishments of girls and young women at FIRST and to elevate STEM gender equity. Gender equity in STEM is managing and allocating resources, programs, educational opportunities, and decision-making fairly to both males and females. STEM gender equity extends beyond the male/female dichotomy and includes many different identities. The purpose of this page is to spotlight FIRST teams that are focused on diversity and gender equity, highlight FIRST events that celebrate girls and young women in STEM and provide resources for further exploration on gender equity in STEM.

Girls and women play a critical role in the advancement of STEM. Although statistics are improving, there is still a gap in gender equity within STEM careers. This is a concern of FIRST, and we are actively developing ways to address the overall issues and barriers. FIRST is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community for all participants. The Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM initiative is sponsored by Fidelity Charitable and provides a space to further the conversations on equity action planning and creating change in STEM gender equity within FIRST.

The Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM initiative focuses on the advancement of girls and women in STEM, but it is not exclusionary of the contributions of boys, men, and those that may identify differently.  FIRST understands the criticality of a collective effort from everyone.  To enhance the contributions of girls, as well as those of other underrepresented and underserved youth in STEM, we must invest in them at all stages of their development, including their access to FIRST programs and experiences on teams.

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