GLAM (Girls Leadership Academy Meetup), the Silicon Valley-based nonprofit, today announced its partnership with Cisco in teaching girls aged 8-12 leadership and tech skills to help close the gender gap in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) sectors.
As part of its partnership, 42 Cisco executives contributed their time and expertise to delivering the award-winning curriculum that includes modules on leadership, strategy, teamwork, entrepreneurship, computer coding, business planning and public speaking. The goal of the program is to equip girls to dream big and aspire to senior leadership roles in STEAM fields.
The debut program was delivered online and included 93 girls, including 14 from underserved communities in the San Jose, California area. The other 79 participants were daughters of Cisco employees, who participated from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and India.
Pre- and post-event surveys revealed that GLAM participants’ knowledge of STEAM and leadership subjects improved greatly through the program. The girls’ answers revealed that their knowledge and confidence with entrepreneurship rose by 102%, public speaking increased by 18%, business planning surged by 157% and business idea pitching jumped by 144%. On average, an understanding of all seven subjects rose by 62%.
Monique Edmondson, Sr. Director of Workforce Experience at Cisco, noted, “It is great to see the pre- and post-event numbers indicating how much the girls learned. Everyone got so much out of it and just loved contributing.”
GLAM Director of Operations Margaret Sanchez said, “GLAM helps equip girls for success in senior leadership and entrepreneurship in STEAM fields, where there is still a significant gender gap. Sponsors like Cisco that invest in tomorrow’s leaders make a big difference in ensuring a better and more diverse future.”
