Summary
Workshops for elementary school pupils, designed to soften the sway held by traditional role models and to already broach the topic of “career options” with children of elementary school age.
Implementing organization
JKU Linz - Department for Human Resource Development, Gender and Diversity Management /Contact
Dr. Margit Waid; margit.waid@jku.at
Mirjam Strecker; mirjam.strecker@jku.at
Implemented/introduced
Project run by Johannes Kepler University in cooperation with the Women’s Office of Linz, since November 2016.
Relation to gender equality targets
Development Plan 2013-2018: Long term thinking is required if women are to be inspired to consider careers in science and technology. By actively engaging the professional profile of male and female academics across the entire course of education, gender-specific awareness in particular is to be expanded further. In order to draw attention to science from an early age, measures related to the transfer of knowledge focusing on children of various ages have been designed and implemented in cooperation with external organizations more extensively since 2009.
The objective(s) of the tool
Traditional role models and stereotypes are still ingrained in our society, influencing not only our thinking and actions, but also the educational and occupational choices of young people. This project aims to soften the sway held by traditional role models and to already broach the topic of “career options” with children of elementary school age.
Description of the tool
Two-hour workshops are delivered directly in Linz elementary schools with the central focus of encouraging children to think about their interests and career ambitions. Theoretical exercises address topics such as equal rights and gender equality in a way that is both playful and appropriate for the age group. Small scale experiments conducted by the kids themselves are designed to convey an impression of a scientist’s field of work.
How the tool works, practical experience
Children participated in the workshops with great enthusiasm and the feedback from teachers was consistently positive. Following workshops, the documentation of the theoretical exercises and experiments was sent to the teachers (and sometimes also head teachers) upon request.