Representatives of the 12 participating partner universities from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean of the ELA4ATTRACT initiative, as well as various guests in the educational field, met in Bogota, Colombia from February 5 to 8, 2024 for the kick-off of the project "Empowering Latin American Higher Education for STEM Inclusion and Attraction".
The three-year project is based on the premise that, despite progress towards gender equality, women remain underrepresented in STEM due to cultural barriers, discrimination and lack of institutional support. ELA4ATTRACT aims to improve the capacity of higher education institutions to encourage female participation in STEM, thereby contributing to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
During the different meetings, renowned speakers shared their knowledge and experience in the field, as well as discussed the detailed plans for the different stages of the project. The agenda concluded with a fruitful panel with students from the host university, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, where participants were able to hear about the challenges faced when studying STEM careers.About the project: It is co-funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ program. ELA4ATTRACT (acronym of Empower LA HE for Inclusion and STEAM Attraction) is the name of the ERASMUS + project composed of a consortium of twelve higher education institutions in Europe and America. It aims to promote equal opportunities and take into account historical and systemic barriers to access to higher education institutions, particularly in STEM areas. To this end, it will analyze the impact of the measures used in attracting students to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition to focusing on the gender inequality typically associated with these areas, the project will also take into account other underrepresented groups, such as economically disadvantaged people, ethnic minorities and rural communities."
