OECM is pleased to announce that we will continue to support the Girls Who Game (GWG) Program in 2021, by hosting a collaborative virtual space for all of the participating GWG clubs across North America. Nearly 60 District School Boards (DSBs) are expected to participate in the Spring 2021 cohort. The dedicated OECM-hosted Microsoft Teams environment will allow GWG clubs, including those from participating Ontario DSBs, to efficiently communicate and collaborate with each other as they navigate through the program.
Girls Who Game is a joint Dell Technologies, Microsoft and Intel initiative that focuses on empowering female students in grades 4 to 8 in learner-driven experiences that broaden their knowledge, skills, and dispositions within Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM)-related fields. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, less than 50% of high school girls know a woman in a STEM career. The North American program aims to support diversity and equity and strengthen the girl-centric ecosystem to increase interest and confidence in STEM-related fields.
In 2019, OECM committed $30,000 in funding to support the Girls Who Game program in Ontario. Funds were used to support the purchase of brand-new Dell products, allowing the GWG teams from five (5) participating Ontario District School Boards to extend the program after the official close of the cohort and support continued development and learning. OECM also delivered a contest prize to the Ontario-based highest scoring winner of the Girls Who Game: School of the Future Challenge. OECM was honoured to present a 70” Dell Interactive Display to Woburn Junior Public School in early 2020!
The GWG program and culminating challenges are deeply aligned with OECM’s core values of collaboration and innovation. OECM recognizes the value in programs such as GWG that present excellent opportunities for DSBs to collaborate and learn from each other. As such, OECM encourages all our School Board customers to get involved and consider participating in this and future iterations of the initiative. OECM is honoured to endorse programs that encourage innovation, progress, and learning, and will continue to support endeavours such as Girls Who Game to ensure an increasingly equitable education system.
OECM customers interested in learning more about the 2021 Girls Who Game program, or seeking details on how to get involved, are invited to explore the Girls Who Game website and contact Canadian Education Strategist, Katina Papulkas at katina_papulkas@dell.com for additional details.
For more information about OECM’s End-User Computing Devices and Services agreement with Platinum Supplier Partner, Dell Technologies, or to learn more about OECM’s involvement in the Girls Who Game initiative and our commitment to supporting the program, please don’t hesitate to contact their dedicated Customer Support team at OECM Customer Support or 1-844-OECM-900 (1-844-632-6900).
