MakePossible Mentoring Network To Advance Women in STEM

“It’s not just what you know, but who you know!” SCWIST’s MakePossible provides STEM women and girls with online and in-person networks and mentorship. To increase diversity and inclusion in the global information/technology economy, MakePossible creates ‘access’ by hosting a dedicated group of ‘360-degree’ mentors with skills to share.”

Global problems need new perspectives to solve them: we need diversity to provide innovative approaches! STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) women and girls can provide the new ideas if they are allowed to participate fully and to progress in the new information/technological economy.

Diversity in STEM provides a competitive advantage -  STEM skills are needed to address global challenges and drive innovation, collaboration, creative solutions and improved performance. Diversity is the key to growth: there is a strong business case for diversity, but to make growth sustainable, we also need inclusion. It is not enough to bring different people together, we must create an inclusive environment that embraces those differences and allows each and every person to thrive.

Besides becoming aware of our own biases, and making a conscious effort to not let those biases have an impact on our actions, we also need to mentor and  sponsor women in STEM, while we change the system and transform workplace culture.  MakePossible is a (beta) platform that creates both on-line and in-person networking opportunities and allows 360-degree mentoring. The ‘need skill, share skill’ exchange creates networks, friendship and sponsorship as well as continuous learning opportunities. MakePossible and its dedicated mentors support STEM women’s progress and advancement and can help organizations build a culture that promotes gender diversity and inclusion. 

Promoting gender diversity and inclusion will enable more women and girls to participate, advance and contribute to the global STEM community. Through such networking local problems have access to international solutions and vice versa.

This impact can be measured through our on-line analytics through which we can quantitate: the numbers of mentors/mentees; mentoring interactions; sharable skills; location of members (local, national, international); discussions; and eventually individual progress (based on profile).

The MakePossible 360-degree mentorship and networking platform fills the “mentorship/sponsorship gap” for STEM-trained women’s economic progress both by accessing jobs and advancing in them. Since it is a free online platform that can be accessed anywhere (where there is internet available), it can provide much needed access to skills and mentoring in STEM areas and beyond, for women of all backgrounds. MakePossible provides the added benefit of networking for women who normally may not have the opportunity to interact with others interested in STEM and related subjects. MakePossible helps organizations build a culture that promotes gender diversity and inclusion.

Only 22% of the STEM workforce are women[1]. Experts agree that “support for under-represented populations in STEM is important for broadening Canada’s STEM skill supply”[2].  STEM knowledge leads to innovation[3] and innovation is a driving force behind productivity. There is a direct relationship between diversity and innovation[3]: organizations with women in leadership consistently outperform those without[3]. The INTERSECTION of STEM and DIVERSITY is fundamental to economic growth. MakePossible provides  networking, skills exchange and mentoring support[5] to create and sustain a mindset of diversity and inclusion[4].

1. http://www.macleans.ca/society/science/gender-inequality-in-the-sciences-its-still-very-present-in-canada/

2. http://www.scienceadvice.ca/uploads/ENG/AssessmentsPublicationsNewsReleases/STEM/STEMFullReportEn.pdf

3. https://www.forbes.com/forbesinsights/innovation_diversity/index.html

4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2015/12/06/why-diversity-and-inclusion-will-be-a-top-priority-for-2016/#28bb98302ed5

5. https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2011/01/03/reverse-mentoring-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-beneficial/#7cdca03a21cc

The MakePossible model can be used by individuals, communities and organizations across Canada and Internationally. Anyone in and outside of STEM fields looking for mentoring; especially, but not limited to, women in rural or remote areas where there may be a lack of opportunities to meet face-to-face, or for those who do not have the economic freedom to join costly mentoring programs would have this additional tool to improve their situations. It will be deployed through the online platform http://www.makepossible.ca/ and may also expand to events where participants can meet face-to-face dependent on location and interest.

MakePossible’s impact can be measured with back-end analytics: numbers of mentors/mentees; mentoring interactions; sharable skills; updates on skills; discussions on skills; and eventually individual professional progress (based on profile). - Increase MakePossible membership from 750 (pilot phase) to 10,000 over 3 years. Target 10 GROUP memberships for organizations to have their own specific internal mentorship/sponsorship program while also having access to all MP members & their skills.

MakePossible analytics data can track mentors, mentees, interactions, skills sharing (as above). We will also measure the number of diversity and inclusion tools developed and assess their effectiveness through surveys of MakePossible users. - Increase the level of engagement, skills sharing and mentoring interactions within MakePossible by providing tools to improve diversity and inclusion for women in the STEM workplace.

The free mentoring network includes online interactions enhanced by face-to-face and event-based connections - affectionately described as a cross between eBay and a dating site. It also creates community and specific mentorship connections - members are committed to mentorship and provide updates/blogs/resources. There is searchable skill-sharing that cuts across disciplines, industries and geographic sectors - beyond STEM. The idea of “360-degree” mentoring is supported, including reverse mentoring. Group members can find each other based on a “group designation” AND still access the larger diverse network.

The core principle of MakePossible is "human-centered": it is a mentoring network that connects mentors willing to share expertise - we all can learn and teach. It starts with mentors willing to mentor and those seeking mentorship, revolves around a principle of helping others and encourages those who have been mentored to become mentors to others. We envision women and girls in underserved STEM communities growing and advancing with the support of their MakePossible network to eventually assist others around them.  Men are encouraged to join as mentors since they are key to addressing gender diversity challenges and awareness.

MakePossible is available to anyone with internet  access and a computer or smart phone (http://www.makepossible.ca). It is open-source and free, whereas other mentoring platforms charge fees to join or must be purchased. Accessing our diverse network of expertise cuts across STEM disciplines, corporate, and geographical borders. All members are committed to mentoring. Diversity and inclusion tools will be embedded into MakePossible for easy access.

SCWIST is continuously searching for funding opportunities and is setting up an endowment fund to aid some of its core funding goals that include partial financial support for MakePossible. In the past, SCWIST has received a number of grants to support this project and we are constantly applying for more. Going forward, we intend to charge fees for corporations to use GROUPS, such that their desire for intra-corporation mentoring supports the overall mentoring network. As well, we are exploring fee-based opportunities to connect organizations with individuals and their skills. For success, we need to improve our marketing and communication skills.

Risk factors:

• Not enough volunteers/companies to support the project. Mitigation: SCWIST has vast expertise across its volunteer base and associated networks.

• The prototype is a Beta system. Mitigation: Leverage MIT Solve in-kind resources and technical expertise to perform an architecture review to optimize operation. Training to handle potential technical issues.

• Not enough interest. Mitigation: our research shows that people want and need mentors to advance in their careers. The MIT Solve challenge can provide additional resource to introduce more engagement mechanisms into MP to support continued strong growth.

• Lacking marketing expertise. Mitigation: Specifically target and bring on a volunteer professional.

http://www.scwist.ca

https://twitter.com/makepossible_ca

http://www.makepossible.ca/about

We aim to increase the reach and platform breadth of MakePossible to enable women and girls in areas underserved by face-to-face opportunities for mentorship or lacking the resources for fee-for-service mentoring. This platform will reduce barriers faced in underserved locations and by those of various socioeconomic situations, especially women and girls who lack financial resources or are juggling multiple commitments. A program that relies on expertise and mentorship to implement solutions is the perfect opportunity to learn from MIT Solve to improve both the human and technical aspects of MakePossible’s mentorship program: we need to see how others see us. 

Partners include WWEST (WestCoast Women in Engineering, Science, Technology), Harvard Project Implicit, BC Technology Industry Association “Inclusion and Belonging Initiative”, and WEB Alliance of women’s businesses in BC. They have provided an Implicit Association Test (awareness of implicit bias), diversity research/tools, shared resources, and bolstered MakePossible membership growth.

Chronus, Ten Thousand Coffees. We complement other mentorship programs by focusing on women in STEM.