“Stem Mentors for Schoolgirls’ Empowerment” presented by the initiative group HASS for STEM is one of the winning initiatives of the Contest for Volunteering Initiatives announced by the Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC) within the “Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative” project.

The initiative aims to encourage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) career development among the schoolgirls in the municipalities of Khashuri and Kareli. The initiative will support the establishment of mentoring practice in the local communities and will strengthen career competencies among the schoolgirls.

The mentoring program is designed for girls who are interested in middle school science. The program will connect 15 mentors with 45 beneficiaries. The project involves connecting young mentors and schoolgirls as a form of volunteering and introducing mentoring and volunteering practices in the regions. It mainly involves distance communication but focuses on the importance of face-to-face meetings to build a long-term relationship.

The project duration is 4 months. The initial 2 weeks will be dedicated to the recruitment of participants (mentors and mentees). The mentoring process will last for 12 weeks and at the last stage, the beneficiaries themselves will become volunteers who will share their knowledge with other schoolgirls at local schools. The first meeting will be held on November 20, 2020.

”Georgian Civil Society Sustainability Initiative” was developed and is implemented by the consortium lead by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in cooperation with four Georgian Civil Society Organizations: Civil Society Institute (CSI), Center for Training and Consultancy (CTC), Center for Strategic Research and Development of Georgia (CSRDG) and Education Development and Employment Center (EDEC). The project is funded by the European Union and co-funded by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.