Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college. The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering.

We partnered with the American Heart Association and high schools in New York City to help inspire girls to follow careers in STEM.

There aren't regulations or civil liberties that impact our scenario. But culturally, men have always been more inclined & accepted for careers in STEM than women.

The gender gap has been an issue for over a century. Engineering and computer science — two of the most lucrative STEM fields — remain heavily male dominated. Only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer science majors are women.

A toy can help shape a child’s personality and influence their future. But for girls, the most common toys lack the functionality that builds spatial intelligence and that promote the skills to compete in the world of sciences. We wanted to close to gap between girls and careers in STEM.

We picked 4 ordinary toys for girls (dolls, kitchen kits, cartoon DVDs and hair beads) and taught girls how to turn them science tools.

Doll = compass

Kitchen Kit = catapult

Cartoon DVDs = spectroscope

Hair beads = DNA helix

Our target audience were girls 10 to 16-years-old that are on the verge of defining what their future careers will be. By focusing mostly on online executions, we allowed the campaign to reach them on their desktops and phones, and engage in a fun DYI activity that's different from anything else they've done before.

Each toy “transformation” can be done at home, leveraging materials and objects that already belong in a girl’s routine.

We created custom guides for each, and turned them into posters, social media posts and even “How-To” YouTube videos starring young girls themselves. This allowed girls to try it at home, and have their parents engage in the activity as well.

We received thousands of videos of girls and their parents transforming their toys at home. The project was also adopted by schools in New York City as a special class in 2021, turning the campaign into a part of their curriculum.

While being a pilot project in 2021, "#PlaySTEM" proved to be a fun and exciting means to close the gap between girls and STEM careers, and will be expanded for 2022.