Academos launches digital campaign showcasing women pursuing careers in science and technology

Montreal, January 20, 2020. - Academos, the benchmark in virtual mentoring for young people, launches, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, a digital campaign aimed at fostering girls' and young women's interest in science and technology careers.

Globally, women remain under-represented in science, technology, engineering and math, commonly referred to as STEM.

According to the most recent data from Statistics Canada, women represent only 33 % of STEM graduates in the country. In Quebec universities, computer science (17 % for women) and physics (23 % for women) are the two disciplines where female representation is lowest according to the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) believes that the participation of women in STEM is not only essential to the achievement of gender equality, but must also "be considered as essential for achieving scientific and technological excellence ”.

"The more noise we make, the more women will be recognized in the community"

Rolled out on the web and on social networks until February 7, the digital campaign launched by Academos presents the portrait of six women who work in the science and technology sectors and who are inspiring models of success for young people. .

These women are also available to answer questions from 14-30 year olds as virtual mentors on Academos.

"It's difficult to be a woman in a predominantly male environment," admits the graphic designer and entrepreneur. Naomie Marleau, which however encourages girls who are interested in technology to move forward.

“If we don't persevere, we won't get the recognition we deserve,” she says. The more we push, the more we progress, the more noise we make and the more women will be recognized in the community. The industry also helps women to progress, but we still have to do our utmost to get things done. "

Other similar testimonies are presented in the various content disseminated as part of this campaign:

• Four videos presenting the portrait of Jade Doucet-Martineau, engineering student and entrepreneur, Genevieve Beaumier, industrial engineer at Alcoa, Alex Zandra Van Chestein, video game designer, streamer and columnist at URelles and Cassie L. Rhéaume, director at Lighthouse Labs;
• Two informative articles on the reality of the environment based on an interview with Corinne Pulgar, programmer and teacher at Lighthouse Labs, and Naomie Marleau, graphic designer and entrepreneur;
• A quiz playful inviting young people to discover which branch of the technology field is made for them.

This campaign is funded under the NovaScience program, whose main objective is to contribute to the development of the next generation in science and technology as well as to their integration into the labor market. It is also made possible thanks to the support ofAlcoa, of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) of Montreal, of Lighthouse Labs and D'URElles.

About Academos

Founded in 1999, Academos is a non-profit organization that connects young people aged 14 to 30 with the reality of the world of work through a virtual mentoring application that allows them to interact for free with nearly 3,000 professionals passionate about their work. job.

Academos is financially supported by the Secrétariat à la jeunesse of the Government of Quebec to promote academic perseverance and facilitate career choice. The Montreal-based organization is also supported by several financial partners, including Aéro Montréal, Alcoa, ArcelorMittal, belairdirect, LaSalle College, Desjardins, the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) de Montréal, Finance Montréal, Intact Assurance, Investissement Québec , Insurance Pros, Ubisoft and VIA Rail Canada.