Actua CEO, Top Canadian Female Tech Leader and Advocate for Women in STEM, Selected for UN Delegation
Press Release
Ottawa, ON- March 6, 2023
On Wednesday, March 8, Actua CEO and top Canadian female education and tech leader, Jennifer Flanagan, will be participating in the UN’s sixty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women as part of its International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration. Jennifer is one of 15 Canadian STEM professionals that will contribute to the discussion around innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world will also take part in the session that runs from Monday, March 6 to Friday, March 17.
A priority focus of IWD 2023, as stated by the UN, is #DigitalALL: highlighting innovation and technology for gender equality, with a focus on the importance of ensuring women have internet connection to pursue careers in STEM and beyond.
As CEO of Actua, Canada’s leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach organization for girls, Jennifer leads a national network of 350,000 female youth each year through established programs such as the Actua National Girls Program, providing STEM insights and career development for over 15,000 girls annually.
I’m so proud to bring Actua’s 25 years of experience working with girls in STEM to the discussion at CSW67. We must continue to call out the bias and barriers that prevent gender equity in technology and innovation.
Actua’s efforts span many of the priority verticals working to achieve #DigitalALL, providing resources and skills that help to:
- Combat tech inequality and bridge the digital divide
- Provide resources and skills to help close the gender gap
- Promote online safety and instill positive digital citizenship to combat gender-based violence online
Additional priorities for the session include discussing challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of the sixty-second session).
From Monday, March 6 to Friday, March 17, Jennifer is available for interviews.
Media Contact:
Alexandra Wassell
alexandra@pomppr.com
(416) 606-5143
About Actua
Actua is Canada’s largest science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) youth outreach organization representing over 40 university and college-based members. Each year, Actua’s growing network of member organizations engage over 350,000 young Canadians in 500 communities nationwide in transformative STEM learning experiences that build critical skills and confidence. Actua focuses on engaging underrepresented youth through specialized programs for Indigenous youth, girls and young women, at-risk youth, and youth living in Northern and remote communities. Its major funding partners include the Government of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, RBC Foundation, the Suncor Energy Foundation, Protein Industries Canada, TD Bank Group, Toyota Canada Foundation, Enbridge, Microsoft Canada, NCR Foundation and Imperial. For more information about Actua, visit actua.ca.