According to a report published by UNESCO in 2019, girls lose interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines during their teenage years. By the age of 15, only 0.5% of women worldwide want to become professionals in the field of Science and Technology, compared to 5% of men (OECD, 2018). This lack of interest affects their extracurricular choices and experiences in school.

As the largest technology company in Latin America, we have taken on the challenge of reducing this gap. To achieve this, we launched the Conectadas program in 2021, a regional initiative to bring Latin American girls closer to technology and form a network of young women who are aware of the transformative potential of technology and of themselves.

We have partnered with Chicas en Tecnología, an Argentinean organization that promotes the development of technology that contributes to gender equity, and {reprograma}, a Brazilian social impact initiative that teaches programming to women.

The program is online and free, requiring no previous tech skills. It involves digital immersion inspired by the processes used by tech teams: identifying a need, conducting research, designing a solution, and developing a prototype for testing and improvement. To solidify the concepts, participants are encouraged to reflect on the issues in their surroundings and envision digital solutions, taking into account users, data, and its dissemination.

Guided by a facilitator, projects are collaboratively developed by teams consisting of participants from different countries. The activities include panels, workshops, and lectures, allowing interaction with peers from different regions for questions and shared experiences. Across the sessions, the young participants get insights and engage in discussions with women professionals from Mercado Libre, along with leaders in technology, experts, and role models in various fields.

Some of the main topics covered are:

• Digital transformation, economy 4.0 and sustainability.
• User experience (UX) research and data analysis.
• Development of digital projects and businesses.
• Digital marketing and communication.
• Introduction to HTML and CSS.

If you identify as female, are between 14 and 18 years old, and want to change the world, come and join Conectadas! Check out the program details and stay tuned for the opening of registrations. Download the PDF with a program summary. Also, see the conditions to participate.