With technology becoming more prevalent in our lives every day, an array of tomorrow’s jobs will certainly require strong knowledge of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. Unfortunately, not all school children have equal access to the latest technology and hardware needed to excel in these subjects. In addition to this, girls are often under-represented in STEM subjects as they progress through school, which leads to a lack of gender diversity in these fields. One group striving to democratise learning, and encourage more young girls to pursue STEM subjects, is Sydney enterprise Brainchild Academy. Brainchild Academy runs in-school and school holiday workshops to encourage primary school aged children to explore their inner innovator by building programmable electronics, like music synthesises and Mars Rovers prototypes. With the support of Dreamstarter, they were able to turn their educational dream into a reality.

Brainchild Academy has benefited from all three ING Dreamstarter programs. In 2015 they ran a successful crowdfunding which enabled them to launch their business. The following year in 2016, ING Dreamstarter provided them with Grant for Growth that allowed them to purchase additional equipment so they could deliver an extensive program to 300 young innovators at Newtown Public School in NSW Within the same year,Brainchild Academy founder, Julian Lee, secured a Dreamstarter. He attended an Accelerator program gaining the exposure and networks that he needed to push his thinking and grow his business and its impact in the community.

Impact:

• Since launch over 1,500 students have participated in the program
• 50% of students in the program have been girls
• Students at Young Public School rated Brainchild Academy after a recent workshop series with 157 students:
  • Enjoyment of Workshop 4.3/5
  • Learning of electronics 4.2/5
  • Development of creativity skills 4.1/5- Improved confidence 3.7/5
  • Improved Leadership Skills 3.5/5