SHE’s GREAT! is a holistic community-based gender responsive program for boys and girls which aims to identify and transform gender stereotypes and build inclusive communities where students are equipped with the networks, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Design, and Math (STEAM) training, confidence, and leadership skills to fully participate in their communities and careers.

Through the SHE’s GREAT! program, a greater network of stakeholders and partners at the community and national levels are harnessed to better promote girls’ increased economic, technology, leadership, and innovation skills and opportunities.

• Girls and boys are more resilient to restrictive gender norms affecting their life choices and opportunities.
• An enabling environment is cultivated in schools or community-based organizations and communities to foster equal collaboration amongst girls and boys.
• A network of participants, stakeholders, and partners at the community and national levels better promote girls’ increased skills and opportunities.

• The SHE’s GREAT! program will engage 280 girls in STEAM and girls’ empowerment activities during its two years of implementation.
• Participants’ pre- and post-self-reflection questionnaires showed, after only 4 days of participating in the STEAM Pilot Camp in Benin and engaging with professional women in STEAM role models, that girls’ future career goals had already changed from traditional to aspiring, many mentioning they would like to go into technical, medical, and science-based fields.
• SHE’s GREAT! is a Global Initiative that will adapt the lessons learned in Benin to serve girls in Kyrgyz Republic, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Republic of Georgia, and St. Lucia.

• Gender and My Community Club: Flexible 8-week curriculum for student teams to build background knowledge on gender issues in their community and use design challenge thinking to identify gender issues and create solutions to prevent gender-based violence and increase gender equity in their communities. The curriculum is rooted in positive youth development and supports students as agents of change in their personal lives and communities.
• SHE’s GREAT! Learning Festival: A celebration of student learning, where students share with their schools, community members, and parents what they have learned about gender equity and their action plans to make a difference.
• SHE’s GREAT! STEAM Camp: A one-week camp for students from around the country to come together in the capital city and learn about innovative career and education opportunities that defy gender stereotypes. Students will also develop a practical STEAM skill during the camp.
• Community Action Plan: Students will develop and implement community-based action projects focused on GBV prevention and response, adolescents’ STEAM engagement, and women’s and girls’ empowerment.
• SHE’s GREAT! Action Festival: After the implementation of the Community Action Plans, student teams, in collaboration with community partners, will share their project accomplishments and lessons learned in an Action Festival with the school community.

Micah Johnston, Senior Project Officer, mjohnston@irex.org