The STEM Alliance was recently awarded a $7,500 grant to launch a pilot digital equity program focused on women in Yonkers. The grant, administered by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam is a project of the Pepsi x Mary J. Blige Strength of a Woman Community Fund. The fund is dedicated to improving the lives of underserved, marginalized, or ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) women in Yonkers. Singer Mary J. Blige – often referred to as the “Queen of Hip-Hop and Soul” – has partnered with PepsiCo on a shared mission to uplift and elevate women, embodied in the Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit, which returns to Blige’s hometown of Yonkers in May.
The STEM Alliance will use this funding to establish its WATT program – Women Advancing Through Technology. This newly developed STEM Alliance workforce training program creates career and economic advancement for underserved women by offering a coach-led, all female education cohort to support the acquisition of micro-credentials in digital skills. The STEM Alliance’s core digital equity programs, the Y-Zone and Digital Pathways, focus on providing low-income clients with a device, free/low cost internet, and/or 15 hours of basic tech education. WATT expands on this core work by building out a multilayered, add-on workforce class with key elements like career coaching, support for micro-credential certificate completion, mentoring by other female professionals, stipends and opportunities to support future WATT cohorts.
The program is designed in partnership with the Westchester Women’s Agenda’s (WWA) Female Economic Empowerment Committee, and meets two clear, research-based needs: 1) the high need for digitally skilled workers and 2) the high need to close the gender pay gap, which can be achieved by providing women with core digital skills for higher paying jobs.
STEM Alliance President Magaret Käufer explained the evolution of the initiative as follows, “Our Digital Pathways programs have already provided services to over 4,000 clients. Our data reveals that women are coming forward for our digital equity services at higher rates than men. Sixty-six percent of participants identify as female. In collaboration with Westchester Women’s Agenda, we developed Women Advancing Through Technology as a next-stage program dedicated to providing advanced digital skills for women. Economic empowerment and workforce development for all women starts with digital skills.”
The STEM Alliance is grateful for the combined efforts of The United Way, PepsiCo and Mary J. Blige in advancing the needs of women and looks forward to reporting on the results of this work and the on-going development of the WATT initiative.
United Way helps local residents in Westchester and Putnam become self-sufficient and thrive in a stronger community. It does so by studying and researching the issues, such as with the ALICE report, which found that 4 out of 10 local households are struggling to make ends meet. It then develops measurable solutions through its programs. It also creates community partnerships with other nonprofits, for-profit businesses, government, schools, and universities, as well as individuals, because together we can create lasting change.
The STEM Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization growing the next generation of STEM leaders by creating a community where all are empowered to embrace STEM as a means of solving problems and fostering innovation.
