Despite the rough time in Ukraine caused by the Russian full-invasion, many initiatives have promoted and assisted the young generation in developing Ukrainian IT. STEM is FEM is one of the educational projects that encourages girls to pursue STEM disciplines. In 2023, the project received 4,000 applications to participate in its activities. The IT entrepreneur and STEM is FEM initiator Sergey Tokarev concluded the project’s outcomes in 2023.
Last year, the project STEM is FEM focused on involving Ukrainian youth in urban planning and post-war reconstruction. According to Sergey Tokarev, the project team thinks the best way to restore the devastated Ukrainian cities is to engage citizens of diverse genders, ages, and experiences. They reckon individuals from various backgrounds can create comfortable and inclusive spaces.
“The team is actively working to ensure that as many citizens as possible gain knowledge about urban planning: understanding what our cities are like and what they can become, what aspects are worth preserving, and what needs improvement. With a significant task ahead in the post-war reconstruction of the country, it is crucial already now to engage the younger generation in restoring Ukrainian cities,” shares Tokarev.
The educational project “Urbanism” is the result of STEM is FEM project’s endeavors. Around 50 girls joined the initiative and dived into the fundamentals of urban planning and architecture. Also, they created their own projects to reconstruct public spaces in three war-torn Ukrainian cities: Ichnia, Trostyanets, and Okhtyrka.
In April 2023, participants in the “Urbanism” course presented their works. The experts selected the top ten projects, modified them, and implemented them on-site. Moreover, three course graduates underwent an internship at Urban Reform NGO. Sergey Tokarev underlined that this allowed them to study the history of Okhtyrka, engage with the local community, and contribute to research for the city’s master plan development.
As soon as the educational course was over, STEM is FEM created an educational series “Urbanism.” It was initiated by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, and the series is available on Diia.Osvita. The series includes 17 episodes which explain different topics. Among them are the study of cities and responsible citizenship, post-war reconstruction, the shaping of public spaces, inclusivity, and innovative construction projects.
Sergey Tokarev highlights another project’s outcome achieved by cooperating with the women’s lingerie brand brabrabra in September 2023. Together, they launched the educational module “Light Industry.” Thirty participants listened to motivational speeches and insights from industry experts, studied design and clothing production, and even developed their lingerie collections.In addition, to enhance the contribution of women in science, STEM is FEM and the online media Speka have launched “Science: Women’s Voices.” It represents a podcast about female researchers. The hosts and invited expert guests discuss notable female scientists and dive into their professional and personal journeys.
