MISSION
We inspire, connect and support women in technologies, science and innovation. We encourage them to choose education in the STEM area (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). We help them enter the job market and build spectacular careers – in industry, science or by developing their own tech startup. This way we support the emergence of a generation of self-aware women leaders who will change the tech world.
We fight the stereotypes about the role of women in society. Thanks to our activities no little girl will ever be thoughtlessly excluded from STEM inspiration.
We create platforms and coalitions allowing cooperation between the academia and the most innovative high-tech industry. Our activities go beyond the Polish borders, we are becoming more active in the East – all the way to Central Asia. Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit is a large-scale event with global ambitions.
Young women from our programs also participate in the country-wide IT for SHE volunteering program, where they can teach programming to children from small towns – understanding that knowledge and competencies oblige them to engage more deeply.
Why all this?
We believe in women and their great potential.
We believe that the world in which they have more to say in key areas, such as politics, business, and technologies, will be wiser and more balanced.
Thanks to women, their competence, the values they bring and the new approach to problem-solving, the world has a chance for a new history.
Co-creating this history is our privilege, mission and great pleasure.
ACTIVITES
For 14 years we have been supporting young women in selecting technical and science studies with our campaigns Girls As Engineers! And Girls Go Science! 200,000 young women participated so far, and the share of women at technical universities increased by 10%. We also conduct many inspirational activities for young women in technologies and science: IT for SHE, Lean in STEM, Girls Go Start-Up! Academy, Shesnnovation, Girls Go Science!, and a special grant program for female IT students: New Technologies for Girls (jointly with Intel). In 2021, we also launched the LeaderSHEp in Tech Academy program. We include a mentoring element in most our activities – we believe in the value of a relationship in which persons with experience are willing to share it with young women with potential.
We also organise the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit – the biggest event for women in technologies in this part of the world – drawing 8500 participants from 100 countries.
In the Eastern Partnership countries and Central Asia, we are promoting Poland IT Hub and a program of 400 grants for talented female IT students to come to the Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit. We base our activities on research, which we then publish in the form of valuable Reports.
Bianka Siwińska, PhD
President & CEO of the Perspektywy Education Foundation
Her passion is to create change in the tech world. 16 years ago, still as a student, she initiated the first, pioneering activity to increase the percentage of women in technologies – the Girls As Engineers! campaign. 200,000 high school girls participated so far, while the percentage of women at technical universities increased by 10%. She is also the creator of the Perspektywy Women in tech Summit – the most important event for women in technology in Europe and Asia.
She is a scientist, an activist, and a manager. She manages the Perspektywy Education Foundation. Within it, with her dedicated team, she develops such projects as IT for SHE, New Technologies for Girls, Shesnnovation, Lean in STEM, Leadership in Tech, Girls in the Game, and creates reports.
ABOUT THE PERSPEKTYWY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Perspektywy Women in Tech is a part of the Perspektywy Education Foundation It is a non-profit NGO existing since 1998, specialised in supporting young people in making their most important life decisions, such as selecting a profession, school and university and in building the quality of Polish high school and university education. The Foundation creates prestigious education rankings – such as the National High School Ranking, University Ranking, Study Fields Ranking. Since 2005, in cooperation with the Conference of Rectors of Polish Academic Schools, it has been conducting a campaign to promote Polish universities abroad – Study in Poland. Together with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, it implements two systemic projects financed from the Dialog resources (2020-2021): The Visibility Project and promotion of Poland in the East as the place of excellent IT studies and research Poland – IT Hub for You.
The pro-women activities implemented as part of the Perspektywy Women in Tech are an integral part of the mission of the Perspektywy Foundation, focused on career counselling, building an innovation ecosystem in Poland and in Europe, and extensive talent promotion in the STEM area.
Award
In December 2017 in Brussels, Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Economy and Digital Society, presented the European Digital Skills Award 2017. The IT for SHE program won in the category of actions for the digital skills of women. 247 projects from 27 EU countries applied for the prize.
The award in the Women in IT category was presented for the first time. Its goal is to recognize the achievements and potential of extraordinary, brave young women and girls. Congratulations on IT for SHE and the Educational Perspective Foundation. “I hope your energy and motivation will be infect all of Europe – said Commissioner Gabriel.
Marlena Piotrowska
Office Manager
New Technologies for Girls Coordinator
m.piotrowska@perspektywy.pl
Sandra Wiktorko
Partners Angel
Perspektywy Women in Tech
s.wiktorko@perspektywy.pl
Olga Gromek
Girls in the Game Coordinator, Communication & Social Media Specialist
o.gromek@perspektywy.pl
Anna Gayer, PhD
Shesnnovation Academy Coordinator
a.gayer@perspektywy.pl
Zuzanna Ciesielska
Girls As Engineers! and Girls Go Science Campaign Coordinator
z.ciesielska@perspektywy.pl
Anna Dorota Kamińska
Content Coordinator
a.kaminska@perspektywy.pl
Julia Lysik
Poland IT Hub Coordinator
j.lysik@perspektywy.pl
Agnieszka Cichocka
New Technologies for Women – Ukraine Coordinator
a.cichocka@perspektywy.pl
Monika Goszcz
LeaderSHEp in Tech Academy Coordinator
m.goszcz@perspektywy.pl
Magda Tytuła
Alphalab-Perspektywy Scholarship Coordinator
m.tytula@perspektywy.pl
Sylwia Tworek
Perspektywy Programs Support
s.tworek@perspektywy.pl