Wakatipu High School students joined the Girls who Grow pilot scheme this year.
Now is the time to grow the next generation of female change-makers, leaders and environmental guardians in agriculture, says Entrepreneurial Women with Purpose founder Catherine van der Meulen.
The Girls who Grow programme is set “to spark young women’s imaginations, to envisage a future where all stakeholders win, especially the environment”.
Van der Meulen said the initiative was turning the traditional narrative about farming on its head, with a future-focused, climate-positive approach to inspire young women into a career they can mould into their own.
Girls who Grow comes up with real-world immersive experiences and connects 15 to 17-year-old girls to planned workshops, imagination challenges, on-farm experience, and scholarships.
Girls who Grow is providing pathways for young women to enter New Zealand’s food and fibre sector, which accounts for 81 per cent of the country’s exports but involves only 6 per cent of school leavers.
Women make up 32 per cent of the workforce and face significant barriers in agriculture.
Girls who Grow connects youth back to New Zealand’s landscapes and creates a safe space for them to explore food and fibre.
Wakatipu High School is one college that joined the pilot scheme this year and took part in courses run by Girls who Grow.
Rose Kidd, the teacher in charge of biology, said the school valued the importance of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects for tertiary education and career pathways but these subjects can have a lower uptake by female students.
Also, the school’s values include “responsibility”; and “environmental sustainability” is part of the student’s “active citizenship,” Kidd said.
“So, choosing their responses and being accountable for their decisions, actions, and consequences links well with this programme, especially considering our future planet, with the effect of climate change on sustainability such as food production.”
Kidd said 60 to 80 female students, mostly with an interest in science, hard technology or agriculture, took part in the first stage of creative problem-solving.
Then, for stage two, 12 students were selected to be part of an inter-school Girls who Grow imagination challenge.
This month, 10 junior girls will be having an on-farm lunch-and-learn experience from innovative horticultural businesses in the area.
Kidd said student feedback had been very positive.
“They enjoyed being able to voice their concerns for a New Zealand issue or the planet, come up with ideas to enable a possible solution and apply this in hypothetical practice.
“Part of the workshops also incorporated a presentation of ideas to the wider industry which includes local experts and government representatives.”
Kidd said the students who took part in the programme would most likely continue with STEM subjects at Wakatipu.
“But, most importantly, they are now more aware of current New Zealand and planet issues that are affecting the agriculture sector, which has an impact on sustainability in the future.”
Kidd said the students could be creative problem solvers.
“Ask them a big question and they come up with some unique ideas or solutions.”
She said the school hoped Girls who Grow would inspire a diverse range of female creative problem solvers who saw value in studying STEM subjects and realised “that they can each make a difference”.
Girls who Grow hopes to scale these workshops into 10 regions across the country over the next three years, with long-term visions including open-access educational farms with combined ownership and management led by female collectives.
Now is the time to encourage young women and support them to pursue a career in agricultural industries.
These are our daughters, granddaughters and our future.
What was the interest in this project for the school?
The school values the importance of the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) for future tertiary education and career pathways. These subjects can have a lower uptake in subject selection by their female students. In addition, one of the school values is “responsibility,” and “environmental sustainability” is part of the active citizenship aspect within their Ākonga profile (i.e., our leading curriculum document). So, choosing their responses and being accountable for their decisions, actions, and consequences links well with this programme- especially considering our future planet, with the effect of climate change on sustainability such as food production.
What was the school hoping to get out of it?
Their students inspire them every day, they can be creative problem solvers. Ask them a big question and they come up with some unique ideas or solutions. In relation to why they chose female students for this programme is that currently, the agricultural industry has a lower-than-average number of female students entering the sector- especially with higher tertiary qualifications. They are hoping that a diverse background of female creative problem solvers, inspired by the “Girls who Grow “programme will see value in participating in STEM subjects in Secondary school and know that they can each “make a difference.”
How many girls participated and what were their interests prior to taking part?
They had 60-80 female students participate in the first stage of creative problem solving, these students were selected from years 10- 12 and mostly had a current interest in Science or Hard Technology or a real interest in the Agricultural/ Horticultural sector. For stage 2 there were 12 students selected to be part of an inter-school “Girls who Grow” imagination challenge along with the other schools in the programme- Dunstan High School and Mt Aspiring College. This month 10 junior girls from each school will be having an on-farm lunch and learning experience from innovative Horticultural businesses in the area.
What did the students who participated feel they achieved from participating
The feedback from the students has been very positive. They enjoyed being able to voice their concerns for a New Zealand issue or the planet, come up with ideas to enable a possible solution and apply this in hypothetical practice. Part of the workshops also incorporated a presentation of ideas to the wider industry which includes local experts and government representatives.
Are the students who participated, taking the knowledge and skills they learnt further in their education?
It is more likely that the female students who participated in the programme will continue with STEM subjects at Wakatipu High School. But most importantly, they are now more aware of current New Zealand and planet issues that are affecting the Agriculture/ Horticultural sector, which has an impact on sustainability in the future.
And where to for Girls who Grow?
They hope to scale these workshops into ten regions across the country over the next three years, with long-term visions including open-access educational farms with combined ownership and management led by female collectives.
Now is the time to encourage young women and support them to pursue a career in agricultural industries. These are our daughters, granddaughters and our future.
Patience is key during New Zealand's bustling Moving Day.