SHE’s GREAT! 2.0 is a holistic community-based gender responsive program for youth which aims to identify and transform gender stereotypes and build inclusive communities where students are equipped with the networks, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) training, confidence, and leadership skills to fully participate in their communities and careers.

Through the SHE’s GREAT! 2.0 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.

• The SHE’s GREAT! 1.0 program, which ran from October 2018 to October 2023, engaged 4,269 participants from seven countries (Benin, the Kyrgyz Republic, Georgia, Jordan, Guatemala, Saint Lucia, and Ukraine).
• After completing SHE’s GREAT! 1.0, youth were more resilient to restrictive gender norms that affect their life choices and opportunities. Over 70% of respondents who attended the STEM Camp reported positive changes in their perceptions of gender constructs and expectations regarding STEM education and career paths.
• Data shows that enabling environments were cultivated in schools (or community-based organizations) and their communities to foster equal collaboration between youth of all genders. Nine out of 10 Gender and My Community Club (GMC) Member respondents agreed that they could bring up problems and tough issues like harmful traditional practices within the program.
• A network of participants, stakeholders, and partners at community, national, and international levels were created to better promote girls’ increased skills and opportunities. After SHE’s GREAT! Network activities, 100% of youth respondents reported increased knowledge of gender issues outside of their own country, and over 95% reported feeling more connected to the SHE’s GREAT! Network and participants in other countries

• Support youth in challenging and overcoming harmful gender norms.
• Support girls and youth, in all their diversity, to obtain experiences, exposure, and training useful for STEM careers.
• Amplify community, school, and family/household support for positive peace and youth agency.

• Gender and My Community Club (GMC): 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. Participants explore potential STEM career pathways, gender inequality in STEM fields, and strategies to address these disparities.
• Community Inclusion Map: Participants apply what they learned in the GMC Club to identify and map community GESI challenges, which will promote broader community dialogue around these challenges and encourage youth to partner with community leaders to create measurable change through STEM solutions. Select participants from each club, known as Ambassadors, will work together to create a National Inclusion Map, in which every SHE’s GREAT! community will be represented to reveal trends and shared challenges across the country.
• SHE’s GREAT! STEM Academy: After completing the Gender and My Community Curriculum, SHE’s GREAT! youth complete a STEM academy, including a tech literacy boot camp, STEM employability modules, and locally relevant STEM training.
• STEM Linkages: This program component involves first-hand experiences, like campus visits, micro-internships, and group mentoring that enable youth to gain a holistic understanding of employment opportunities and career paths in STEM fields.
• Innovation & Inclusion Design Challenge: Participants in small teams develop STEM solutions to GESI challenges identified in the Community Inclusion Map, using the skills and experiences from all phases of the project.
• National Inclusion and Innovation Fair: At the culmination of the project, all participants gather together to share their projects, attend a micro-networking event with STEM organizations to further career exploration, and participate in a graduation ceremony.
• GMC 101 for Caregivers: Parents and caregivers of youth participants will engage in an adapted and abridged GMC, with particular focus on STEM employment paths so that caregivers are fully equipped to support their youth through the entirety of the STEM education-to-career pipeline.
• Caregiver Engagement: Parents and caregivers are engaged through “Caregiver Coffee Clubs” throughout the duration of the program to discuss topics such as STEM education, career planning, non-violent parenting, and understanding teenage psychology, among other topics.  
• School Sustainability Workshops: School leaders and educators are engaged through workshops on topics such as PSEA awareness training, inclusive classroom training, and STEM opportunities for all youth. Throughout this process, schools will update or develop a school-related GBV policy (SRGBV). Educators who engage with this process are expected to host at least two workshops for other educators in their school or community to promote sustainable gender-inclusive classrooms and schools. Educators who complete these workshops receive certificates and the school is eligible for in-kind grant on a project that promotes sustainable inclusion and safeguarding initiatives.
• Sustained GESI Dialogue: Dialogues with community leaders, parents and caretakers, facilitators, and mentors, and SHE’s GREAT! participants are hosted quarterly in each community of implementation. These meetings inform the community of the program and its objectives, the challenges identified in the Community Inclusion Maps, and I&I project ideas presented by the participants. The community will have an opportunity to express concerns and provide feedback to the participants.

Contact information: Cai Thomas, Technical Advisor, cthomas@irex.org