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Lasse Leponiemi

Chairman, The HundrED Foundation
first.last@hundred.org

STEMinPink Global

place Peru + 7 more

The future of STEM is Pink!

Only 35% of STEM students are women (20% in engineering), limiting social, technological, and environmental progress. We ignite the potential of girls and young women through mentorship, hands-on programs, and worldwide chapters in 9+ countries, breaking barriers, closing gender gaps, and empowering the next generation of fearless, innovative global STEM leaders to shape the future.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated March 2026
Web presence

2025

Established

7

Countries
Community
Target group
STEMinPink team envisions a transformation in education where STEM is no longer perceived as exclusive or inaccessible, but as an inclusive, empowering and collaborative space for all, especially for girls and young women. Through this innovation, we aim to move beyond traditional, theory-based learning toward dynamic environments where curiosity, creativity and real-world problem-solving shape meaningful and engaging experiences. We believe education should not only teach STEM concepts, but allow students to experience them, express themselves through them and see their identities reflected in them. This means promoting hands-on, interdisciplinary and student-led opportunities where young people become innovators, researchers and changemakers from an early stage, developing both technical and leadership skills with confidence. By integrating mentorship, global collaboration and strong community-building, we create ecosystems where girls feel supported, represented and empowered to grow both personally and academically. Our model encourages active participation, critical thinking and cross-cultural exchange, connecting diverse perspectives to strengthen learning and innovation. Our goal is to actively close the gender gap by ensuring that girls everywhere—regardless of their background—have access to opportunities, resources and role models that inspire them to pursue STEM pathways. At the same time, we aim to reshape perceptions of who belongs in STEM by amplifying voices

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

A girl turns her curiosity into her first research idea. A young leader shares her reality from across the world. A community begins to rewrite who belongs in STEM. This is what STEMinPink looks like in action. Our long-term impact operates as a global, youth-led ecosystem that empowers girls and young women through hands-on, inclusive and community-driven experiences. Since our first activity,STEMinPink Challenge: “How does Science look for you?”participants have combined creativity, research and the arts to express their vision of science. This first step, engaged our first global community, resulting in two Peruvian winners and one Chilean winner, while fostering a multicultural space where girls connected, shared perspectives and built confidence in STEM. Following this, we recruit Country Directors and host onboarding sessions where we share our story, values and future projects, but also actively listen to each leader’s community background. Representatives from Peru, Brazil, South Korea, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Kazakhstan shared insights on the gender gap and quality of STEM education, helping us adapt our initiatives as we expand to Uganda and Pakistan and more countries. At the community level, we lead in-person awareness campaigns in Peru, such as during International Women’s Day, celebrating girls and women in STEM while inviting them to join our network. These moments allow us to listen, learn and continuously strengthen our impact.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

At every traditional Sunday lunch, I watched and listened to my family transform challenges into innovation, using science,technology, engineering and mathematics, to overcome socioeconomic difficulties. Growing up in Peru, surrounded by extraordinary biodiversity and scientific potential, I was captivated by how STEM could reveal the hidden patterns of the world around us. But as I explored, I noticed something troubling: girls were missing from these discoveries. Lack of support and inclusivity in STEM often shuts opportunities before curiosity even knocks. Instead of discouraging me, this gap sparked a mission, to empower young women to become changemakers by creating an inclusive, secure and enriching community to ensure our member’s personal and academic growth in STEM with confidence. Next, what began locally soon became global. Today, STEMinPink connects girls across Latinamerican, African and Asian countries, turning curiosity into research, ideas into action, and local impact into a worldwide movement. That is why, this is more than closing a gap, it is rewriting the future of STEM. Because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not and that must change. The next generation of breakthroughs will not be defined by a few, but by all of you.And it starts now. We want to hear your story, as together, we can paint STEM in pink and redefine its future, globally.

How has it been spreading?

STEMinPink has been spreading through a youth-led, community-driven model that transforms participants into leaders and STEM changemakers across multicultural backgrounds . What started as a local initiative quickly expanded as more girls connected with the mission and took ownership of it, bringing STEMinPink into their own schools, communities, networks and local youth organizations. Our growth is powered by recruiting passionate Country Directors who lead national chapters and adapt our programs to their realities, from our Digital Toolkit such as a guideline to face gender inequality situations to our science communication blog, Starship_Data, encouraging girls to do research in a dynamic and accessible way. Through this decentralized and scalable model, STEMinPink has expanded across Latin America, Africa and Asia, reaching countries such as Peru, Brazil, South Korea, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Kazakhstan, ensuring that our impact is both globally connected and locally relevant. Digital platforms have been essential in accelerating our reach, allowing us to host international challenges, mentorship programs and collaborative spaces where girls connect with STEM leaders, learn and lead together across borders. Most importantly, STEMinPink spreads through its people. Each participant becomes a changemaker who shares opportunities, inspires others and creates a ripple effect that continuously expands our global movement, empowering more girls to see themselves in STEM.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

Growth and change begins with a question: what if every girl had the opportunity to explore STEM without limits? If you want to try this innovation, start by truly listening to the stories of girls in our global community, through our social media interviews, informative posts and our HundrED article to discover the barriers they face and the opportunities they are often denied. From there, you can become part of the change in multiple and meaningful ways. You can join our global team by contributing your skills in design, social media, marketing, outreach, alliances or writing, helping us amplify voices and expand opportunities for girls worldwide. You can also step into a leadership role as a Country Director, bringing STEMinPink to your own community, adapting our model to local realities and building a network of young changemakers. Additionally, you can participate as a beneficiary by engaging in our challenges, mentorship programs and collaborative projects that transform curiosity into research, ideas into action and learning into real impact. Every role matters, because each contribution strengthens a growing, inclusive and empowering STEM ecosystem. By joining, you are not only accessing opportunities, but also helping create them for others, inspiring more girls to have the confidence, support, leadership and innovation to create a future where STEM is Pink!

Media

🌍 International Day of Science for Peace and Development✨ On November 10th, 2026 we celebrate the power of science to create a fairer, more sustainable, and peaceful world. Science is not just knowledge, it creates opportunities 💡 when women, girls, and young people are empowered to participate. 👩‍🔬💗 At STEMinPink, we highlight the testimonies of our directors from: 🇰🇷 - 🇧🇩 - 🇵🇪
🌍 International Day of Science for Peace and Development✨ On November 10th, 2026 we celebrate the power of science to create a fairer, more sustainable, and peaceful world. Science is not just knowledge, it creates opportunities 💡 when women, girls, and young people are empowered to participate. 👩‍🔬💗 At STEMinPink, we highlight the testimonies of our directors from: 🇰🇷 - 🇧🇩 - 🇵🇪
🌍 International Day of Science for Peace and Development✨ On November 10th, 2026 we celebrate the power of science to create a fairer, more sustainable, and peaceful world. Science is not just knowledge, it creates opportunities 💡 when women, girls, and young people are empowered to participate. 👩‍🔬💗 At STEMinPink, we highlight the testimonies of our directors from: 🇰🇷 - 🇧🇩 - 🇵🇪
🌍 International Day of Science for Peace and Development✨ On November 10th, 2026 we celebrate the power of science to create a fairer, more sustainable, and peaceful world. Science is not just knowledge, it creates opportunities 💡 when women, girls, and young people are empowered to participate. 👩‍🔬💗 At STEMinPink, we highlight the testimonies of our directors from: 🇰🇷 - 🇧🇩 - 🇵🇪
🌍 International Day of Science for Peace and Development✨ On November 10th, 2026 we celebrate the power of science to create a fairer, more sustainable, and peaceful world. Science is not just knowledge, it creates opportunities 💡 when women, girls, and young people are empowered to participate. 👩‍🔬💗 At STEMinPink, we highlight the testimonies of our directors from: 🇰🇷 - 🇧🇩 - 🇵🇪

Spread of the innovation

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