SouthArk, Verizon Foundation partner in tech program for middle school girls

This summer, South Arkansas Community College will join Verizon Innovative Learning, the education initiative of the Verizon Foundation, to introduce more girls, especially those in rural parts of the country, to science, technology, engineering and math skills.

Launched in partnership with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship, the twoyear program was piloted last summer at five community colleges and will expand to 16 community colleges, engaging more than 1,500 students.

Kicking off this summer with a three-week intensive learning experience, about 100 girls from local middle schools will attend courses at SouthArk in augmented and virtual reality, coding, 3D design, entrepreneurship and design thinking principles.

Following the summer, the students will participate in monthly sessions throughout the academic year where they will develop a technology solution for a community problem that aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Focus areas of the SDGs include poverty reduction, quality education, good health and well-being, climate action, peace and justice or gender equality.

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers, where a staggering 86 percent of engineers and 74 percent of computer professionals are men.

The percentage of women in STEM careers has not improved since 2001, specifically within the engineering (12 percent) and computing (26 percent) workforces. As a member organization of more than 300 community colleges across the country, NACCE is dedicated to supporting job creation and entrepreneurs in local communities.

Verizon Innovative Learning gives free technology, free access and innovative curricula to students impacted by the digital divide to help them realize a brighter future. To date, Verizon has invested $200 million in this initiative and has reached more than one million students.

Learn more at www.VerizonInnovativeLearning.com.