A new project aims to explore how EWB Australia can support the growth of First Nations STEM leaders of the future.
EWB believes that to solve the challenges faced by the world today and into the future, engineering must be redefined as a socio-technical profession. It must also have a higher representation of women, people from remote and regional areas, those from low-socioeconomic communities, migrants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Individuals within each of these groups bring with them lived experience, diverse approaches and different ways of knowing. These experiences and viewpoints are, and will continue to be, critical to creating a future that is fit for all people, protects and regenerates the planet and delivers impactful innovation.
As part of EWB Australia’s commitment to advancing reconciliation and creating positive outcomes with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, EWB is embarking on a project – Reimagining Pathways. The Reimagining Pathways project aspires to build organisational awareness of the complex system that impacts a higher representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in engineering, STEM learning and STEM vocations. And, in doing so, identify areas in which EWB Australia can leverage its strengths to support the development of a growing pipeline of aspiring First Nations STEM leaders into the future. The project will engage with a range of stakeholders including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives (existing partners and network organisations), EWB volunteers, program staff, educators, community development practitioners and engineering professionals. It will facilitate knowledge sharing between the people and organisations that are working in these areas to consolidate what is known, distil insights, identify gaps and co-create opportunities where EWB can deliver value and effective support.
As part of this project, EWB Australia will undertake research, semi-structured interviews, focus group sessions and co-creation workshops with key stakeholders from November to March 2021, and ‘pilot’ several identified activities with partners and collaborators in April to June 2021. The project is supported through the generosity of Bindy and David Koadlow.