Our session is gathering speakers from the flagship European initiatives on the empowerment of girls and women in STEM education, careers, and entrepreneurship across Europe and beyond. Our panel will speak about their key lessons and visions for gender equality & digital inclusion in the context of the post-pandemic Europe. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022 projects that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 132 years to close the gender gap globally and 60 years in Europe.

• What are the giant steps we have taken here in Europe in the recent years and what is the big gap that we still need to bridge?
• What are the factors that can make girls and women to be optimistic about opportunities in the STEM world in the upcoming years?
• How can we streamline our efforts in policy, research, industry, and civil society to speed up the process towards a gender inclusive and digital future?

Come and join us in this webinar to have an insight about the state-of-play and prospects for a gender equal digital society!

Watch the webinar here!

Agenda

14.00-14.15 Welcome & introduction

Peter Palvolgyi, CEO, ALL DIGITAL
Introduction of ALL DIGITAL and ALL DIGITAL Weeks

Selin Tagmat, Senior Project Communication Officer, ALL DIGITAL
Overview of the EQUALS-EU project and introduction of speakers
Presentation

14.15-15.15 Presentation & debate by speakers 

Dana Adriana Puia Morel, Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission
ESTEAM Fests: Empowering women and girls through digital and entrepreneurial competences
Presentation

Solene Moutier, Education Project Specialist, EIT Raw Materials
Girls Go Circular initiative: Digital and Entrepreneurial Skills for the Circular Economy
Presentation

Tamara Dancheva, Senior Manager, International Relations, GSMA
EQUALS-EU and EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age
Presentation

Maria Sangiuliano, Research Director and Program Manager, Smart Venice
CALIPER – Gender Equality in STEM Research and FIT – Fairness in Teaching
Presentation

Vania Neto, Education Skills & Learning Lead Western Europe, Microsoft
Empowering Girls in STEM
Presentation

15.15-15.30 Q&A and Closing remarks

Registration

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About the speakers

Dana Adriana Puia Morel, Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission

Dana has been educated in the US and has a fifteen-year experience in the European Commission as policy expert and policy adviser. Currently she is in charge of promoting entrepreneurial learning and supporting girls and women to achieve their full potential and acquire digital and entrepreneurship competencess. Dana masters the innovative methods of participatory leadership and has extensive experience in organizing workshops and offering strategic advice on how to create inclusive policy processes by offering people a space for connection, creativity and debate. Dana is also a practicing internal coach and trainer at the European Commission, she is passionate about accompanying people on their personal-growth journey, and guiding them on how to step into their power and discover their strengths, resources and gifts.

Solene Moutier, Education Project Specialist, EIT Raw Materials

Solène Moutier works as Education Project Specialist at EIT Raw Materials (European Institute for Innovation and Technology). She develops and implements the education project Girls Go Circular, which aims to equip 40,000 girls across Europe with digital and entrepreneurial skills through an online programme about the circular economy. So far, 16,000 girls aged 14-19 were trained in 13 European countries. Before turning to education, Solène’s expertise was in outreach and public information for EU and UN institutions.

Tamara Dancheva, Senior Manager, International Relations, GSMA

For over a decade, Ms Tamara Dancheva has worked in various roles in global organizations, with a primary focus on gender equality, human rights and international relations. In her current role as Senior Manager, International Relations within the External Affairs and Industry Purpose department at the GSMA, she is responsible for leading on GSMA’s strategy in the international digital gender inclusion space. She also leads on GSMA’s partnerships with UN Women, the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age, the Generation Equality Innovation and Technology Action Coalition and the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network among others. Ms Dancheva is currently a Co-Chair of the EQUALS Skills Coalition, a Co-Chair of the Taskforce on Bridging the Digital Gender Divide under the W20 India Presidency and a member of the European Union Delegation to the W20 Engagement Group of G20. Additionally, Ms Dancheva has extensive experience in political party systems and democracy stemming from a previous role as Head of the Human Rights Programme for Liberal International. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from Rockhurst University (Kansas City, MO, USA) and a Master’s Degree in Politics and Government in the European Union from the London School of Economics (London, UK).

Maria Sangiuliano, Research Director and Program Manager, Smart Venice

Maria is Research Director and co-owner at Smart Venice, an independent research and consultancy unit specializing on gender+, participatory and inclusive innovation. She has been the scientific coordinator of the H2020 Equal-IST and currently with the same role for the CALIPER project, where 7 STEM research organizations and 2 Funding Agencies are supported in implementing gender equality plans. She is also leading the Smart Venice team in the FIT- Fairness in Teaching Erasmus+ project, training STEM teachers on intersectionally inclusive STEM pedagogies. Through other Horizon Europe projects, she is also in charge of co-creation and training on gender+ bias in AI and feminist democratic innovations respectively. Maria has a MA in Philosophy and social sciences, a Phd In Cognitive and Learning studies, and a 20+ years of working experience on gender equality issues, mainly through collaborative action-research projects.

Vania Neto, Education Skills & Learning Lead Western Europe, Microsoft 

Vânia Neto is currently Microsoft Education Skills & Learning Lead for Western Europe, responsible for the Education Skilling strategy and the relationship with Education Institutions, Faculty, Educators, and Students. She is deeply involved in the AI Skills initiatives developed in Western Europe, as well as the agenda for Digital Skills, supporting Europe’s Digital Transition goals.

In Microsoft since 2011, she joined as Partners in Learning Manager in the Portuguese Education Team, and in 2014 became Education and Philanthropies Lead for Microsoft Portugal. Late 2018, she moved to the Western Europe HQ as Education Sr. Product Marketing Manager, until moving to the current role, in January 2021.

Vânia has a Law degree and has previously worked in Public Sector, for Central and Local Government entities in Portugal.