Newsletter - A Year in Review |
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A big welcome to 2024 to everyone in our TOI community. This newsletter is to celebrate the amazing achievements of our 2023 cohort, and to thank the hundreds of inspirational speakers, mentors, teacher champions and students who made it all happen! Not only did our community deliver a cutting edge program and two incredible live events, but the growth and opportunities for students who have undertaken TOI is now manifesting far and wide beyond their six month undertaking, and we are working on delivering even more opportunities for our alumni, while boosting our reach to many more girls and teachers from around the state. Together, we are sowing the seeds that will create our future leaders in STEM, innovation and business.
We do our best to share this yearly review with everyone in the TOI community - schools, industry collaborators, government leaders, sponsors and partners. Please circulate this email with your network, and we encourage schools to share with parents, so that they can fully understand the magnitude of student achievement.
This is a BIG update. Be sure to view the FULL newsletter by clicking the 'view in browser' URL / WIX link at the top or bottom of this email page (you can also share the URL link directly). |
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TOI is a 6 month innovation program for Year 8 female high school students and their teacher mentors. Through our program, students apply STEM, entrepreneurship and leadership skills critically, creatively and collaboratively to solve real world problems. Mapped to the Australian Curriculum, TOI also delivers live events and training led by a powerful network of 100+ female mentors in industry. TOI provides opportunities for girls from diverse backgrounds and all school systems to undertake studies at the cutting edge of industry, and to come together at live events in the heart of Sydney's innovation community. We have a special mission to enable students from regional, remote, low SES and First Nations communities to undertake our program. We believe that all girls deserve a head start in addressing the barriers that see women underrepresented in STEM and innovation participation and leadership. |
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Why TOI? The problem and the solution. |
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The state of STEM gender equity in 2023 Australian Government STEM Equity Monitor Girls’ confidence in STEM subjects is lower than boys, and falls as they get older. Only 23% of girls 14-17 aspire to a career in STEM (boys:46%), and this falls to 19% for rural students and 12% for First Nations students.
Women only make up 37% of enrolments in university STEM courses, and just 17% of enrolments in vocational STEM courses.
Women only make up 18% of the workforce across all STEM industries.
23% of senior management and 8% of CEOs in STEM-qualified industries are women. On average, women still earn 17% less than men across all STEM industries. |
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How TOI moved the needle 90%+ of students reported uplift in these
target areas: ✔️ Confidence ✔️ Communication skills ✔️ Ability to identify female innovators and companies in the innovation sectors ✔️ Knowledge of technical STEM skills, digital tools, and pitching
✔️ Interest in STEM and desire to choose STEM electives in school By completing the TOI program students developed skills across 30+ curriculum links for stage 4 ACARA content outcomes, and more than 40+ links to the 7 General Capabilities. They leveraged a wide range of cutting edge software tools from industry for design, collaboration, and modelling, along with business and problem solving frameworks from world class MBA programs. |
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At the start of the program: 85% of students were unable to name a single female innovator |
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What TOI students are saying about their experience... |
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'TOI has given me skills that shoot me ahead of the rest of the kids my age and will be extremely helpful in years to come...'
'Thank you for creating a fantastic opportunity for girls to see STEM in a new light.'
'My best experience was listening to other people's ideas and learning how they could help the community become more sustainable.'
'TOI has helped me by encouraging me to think outside the box and to have a more collaborative mindset.'
'TOI has helped me most in boosting my confidence when speaking in front of large crowds, as well as improving my critical thinking and working cooperatively in a group.' 'TOI has helped me build my confidence and discover all the careers and pathways there are in STEM.'
'My favourite aspect of the program was listening to mentors talk about their experience because it motivated me to go forward…' 'TOI has helped me use and develop research and problem solving skills.’ ‘My best experience was learning to use Figma to create a demo for my app.'
'TOI has improved my skills in successfully collaborating to produce a project.' Student feedback from the 2023 cohort |
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What our students learned: Module 1 |
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TOI is taught over two school terms. Each term comprises a ten week Module of Learning and a live event. |
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Australia's first female astronaut - From Antarctica to the stars
To launch the 2023 program and introduce students to an inspiring woman in STEM, TOI schools interviewed Dr Meganne Christian to learn more about her journey into industry. |
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Capstone Live Event for Module One: The Future of Female Leadership Forum |
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Our first live events took place in June at the Sydney Startup Hub, home to the highest density startup space in the southern hemisphere, supported by the state government’s Investment NSW and housing our accelerator partner, Tank Stream Labs. |
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Students learned about the future of work from Investment NSW and Tank Stream Labs, and toured the Hub’s resources. The Regional Landing Pad was a highlight for regional students to see where their future businesses could be supported. |
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At the end of the program:+98% of students say TOI has shown them a variety of pathways that are open to women |
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At the end of the program:93% of students feel confident to meet and network with new people |
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At the end of the program:92% of students can identify their own soft skills |
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Students applauded the networking lunch, held with sixty inspirational female mentors, leaders in STEM, business and academia. The girls put their newly honed networking skills to the test, establishing contacts for the future and initiating early visions of what may potentially unfold for them in their own careers. Preparations for the lunch included soft skill workshops in Growth Mindset (Julie Demsey, ex-Silicon Valley Executive and Coach) and Communication skills (Anna-Grace, Silicon Valley CEO; Director, Grace Studios, AMEB Speech and Drama). |
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The students developed their technical skills in UX/UI with Ananda Vasudevan (Senior Designer @ WooliesX), and in business modelling with Audrey Gan (Engineer and Asia Pacific Regional Manager for Social Impact at Boston Consulting Group). They also completed a Mathematics and Engineering challenge with Agnes Kang (Project Leader at Boston Consulting Group) and Jennifer Nicholas (Mathematics teacher, Newington College). A big thank you to Apple, who provided iPads for the day, ensuring all students had access to technology. |
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At the end of the program:Confidence with sharing ideas in a group setting rose from 78% to 96% of students by the end of the first module (50%) of the program |
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A mathematics and engineering challenge with Agnes Kang and Jennifer Nicholas |
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What our female mentors are saying... |
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'I met with groups of exceptional female year 8 students to ‘speed mentor’ over lunch, around the topic of careers in innovation and STEM industries. We spoke about my own journey in tech, they asked questions around what inspires and challenges me in my life and my work, and we also got the chance to discuss some of the considerations and ambitions they held for their own futures.
The TOI program is something my younger self would’ve loved to have exposure to, particularly as a high school student in a regional town, having very little idea that these kinds of careers would ever be accessible to me.
It was absolutely incredible to see the pipeline of future female talent coming into our industries, and an honour to speak with them about things I feel so passionately about, and I can’t wait to participate in future events.'
Female Industry Mentor - Renee Cawthorne - Recruitmore (Energy - Technology Recruitment) |
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What our students learned: Module 2 |
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Australia's Female Leaders - From Parliament to Pitch for the Planet
Schools along with the TOI team thank the Hon Courtney Houssos, Minister for Finance and Minister for Natural Resources, who gave the opening address on Day 1 of Pitch for the Planet. |
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Capstone Live Event for Module Two: The Pitch for the Planet |
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Module 2, Term 3, culminated in the ‘Pitch for the Planet’ competition. Over two days at the Sydney Startup Hub, 40 teams from the participating schools competed to impress real VCs (investors), successful startup Founders, and sustainability experts, with two schools being named champions for 2023. The students pitched innovations to reduce emissions in the dairy industry, in response to a case study provided by UNSW’s Digital Grid Futures Institute (GGFI). They considered the problem spaces of cattle production, manufacturing, packaging, waste and logistics. They were addressed by Sharon Swift, Manager at DGFI, who highlighted how science and technology are addressing current challenges in the energy sector, and why it is important for them as young people to consider careers in STEM that can solve the problems of the present and the future. |
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We would like to thank our impressive judges: Noga Edelstein Director of Advisory at Tractor Ventures, Hannah Mourney, Investor at Giant Leap, Dr Lu Li Investment Analyst OneVentures, Hela Zargouni Program Manager at Cicada Innovations, Ursula Crowley Hogben Founder and Director at Armara, Amanda Price Partner, Co-Lead Deals and Ventures at KPMG, Brad Delamare CEO at Tank Stream Labs, Bree Kirkham, Investment Manager at Flying Fox Ventures, Sharon Swift Manager at UNSW Digital Futures Institute, Wendy Mackay Managing Director at Pollination, James Stewart CEO at Always Carbon, Meg Panozzo Associate Director at RPS - Consulting & Engineering, Jan Mason, CEO at Quest Payment Systems; Trish Doyle MP, Member for Blue Mountains, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, Heritage, Climate Change and Energy |
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At the end of the program:+97% of students say the program has helped them to appreciate the need for a sustainable planet and to see how STEM knowledge and skills can solve the world’s problems |
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At the end of the program:+99% of students believe the program has helped them become more effective group members |
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At the end of the program:95% of students report that participation in TOI has increased their confidence |
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In addition, students were privileged to have Dr Aparna Lal, 2023 ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year, provide an insight into her valuable work. They also welcomed ministerial visits and addresses from The Hon Courtney Houssos, Minister for Finance, and Minister for Natural Resources, The Hon Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Western NSW and Trish Doyle MP, Member for Blue Mountains, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment, Heritage, Climate Change and Energy. We wish to warmly thank all these wonderful female leaders for their interest in and support for TOI. Thank you, also, to DGFI, Quest Payment Systems and One Ventures who sponsored the competition, and to our partners at Tank Stream Labs who hosted us. |
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Congratulations to the grand finalists, Maitland Grossmann High School (two teams), Moorefield Girls’ High School, Rutherford Technology High School, St Luke’s Catholic College Marsden Park, St John Bosco College Engadine (two teams), and Ravenswood School for Girls. The winners, Rutherford Technology High School and St John Bosco College Engadine presented outstanding pitches, the former proposing ‘DairyWay’’, a new packaging material for milk cartons that utilises casein derived from spoilt milk, and the latter, ‘Synetic’, a digestible pod for cattle that reduces methane production.
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Ministerial opening keynote: Pitch for the Planet day two
The Hon Tara Moriarty, Minister for Agriculture, Regional and Western NSW, was thanked by students and teachers from Murrumbidgee Regional High School in Griffith, NSW. Together with Students from Crookwell, the Minister also toured the Hub / Regional Landing Pad. |
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Words of encouragement and wisdom from 2023 ACT Emerging Scientist of the Year
Interdisciplinary scientist Dr Aparna Lal opened the Pitch for the Planet Grand Final, speaking on her important work exploring how we analyse resilience to environmental crises, as well as her own journey as a woman in STEM. |
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Check out the winning pitches! |
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'WOW what a day at the Pitch for the Planet! So many amazing presentations and an incredible result for the schools of the Hunter Academy of STEM Excellence with 3 out of the 4 finalists coming from the HASE schools. Maitland Grossmann High School again this year had TWO teams in the grand final. Rutherford Technology High School had their first placement in the final and took out the win!!!! All teams walked away with smiles on their faces and should be immensely proud of their efforts; the academy certainly is. The future looks bright with the young women in STEM we are helping to grow. Thank you to the amazing educators that mentor these students and to the Orbispace Initiative.' Shane Dryden (STEM Project Officer for the Hunter Academy of STEM Excellence) |
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Pitch for the Planet Winners Celebrate! |
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Winning Teams: Day 1: Rutherford Technology High School Day 2: St John Bosco College Engadine |
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The winning teams received a stunning glass trophy, $1,000 in prize money per school, and an all expenses paid two day visit to Sydney in November, which included a tour and meeting at NSW State Parliament, hosted by the Hon Courtney Houssos. Their prize also included a full day boot camp in the Engineering faculty at UNSW, hosted by the Digital Futures Grid Institute, with STEM workshops and addresses by faculty professors. |
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Winning students touring NSW State Parliament with The Hon Courtney Houssos, Minister for Finance and Natural Resources |
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The achievements of the winning team from Rutherford Technology High School, and the work of their mentor, science teacher Jade Bassett, were highlighted by Channel 9 News |
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Watch a TOI Interview with Jade to learn about her experiences in the 2023 program and how she has been running TOI in her school. |
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Our alumni take their TOI skills and experiences with them into the broader community |
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At the invitation of Trish Doyle MP, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Climate Change, two of our 2023 students from St John Bosco College Engadine travelled to Parramatta to represent young voices at an environmental forum. Sophie and Claire joined Trish and the Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy at the forum. |
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Rutherford student, Lotus, worked further on her team's winning TOI innovation, entering the Hunter Young Business Minds Awards. She was successful in taking out the '2023 Under 25's Innovation in Business Enterprise Award'. Her teacher, Jade Bassett, was also awarded, receiving the '2023 Teacher's Award Recognising Innovation in Teaching'. |
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TOI alumni celebrated International Women's Day this year with The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. Schools from across NSW connected online to ask The Duchess questions about female leadership, and to showcase their winning pitches from the 2023 Pitch for the Planet. |
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At the end of the program:81% of students have chosen a technology elective for 2024; of these, 49% have chosen two or three technology electives for 2024 |
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What our Teacher Champions are saying... |
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“The program builds greater resilience and confidence while empowering students to reach beyond their horizon. The curriculum also allows teachers to professionally develop their knowledge and skills across all key learning areas.” “TOI allows young female students to recognise their crucial role in the future of women in STEM and helps them to develop their confidence, which is an important skill for young women.” “TOI focuses on building global capabilities needed in the future of work.” “My level of knowledge and skills has increased significantly in terms of the content of the program. I have been able to apply what I have learned from Orbispace to my own career generally and also in my teaching practice . . . The program allows teachers to know students more deeply and engage with students in a different context. . . This program also demonstrates that fundamental skills learned in school (numeracy, scientific literacy, communication etc) are actually applied on a daily basis in the real world, in industry, in networking. As a teacher, it is so great to be able to show students what we are always trying to tell them.” Each year I teach TOI it gives me more confidence and I am blown away with the resilience and innovation of our groups. Teacher Mentors 2023 Cohort |
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Some of the people who made TOI happen in 2023... |
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Mentor Dr Helen Vidot with rural students, and DGFI Manager Sharon Swift with one of our Sydney metropolitan teams. |
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Thank you to our partners and sponsors Who make it possible for us to open doors for the next generation of female innovators. |
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Thank you to our technical partner, Rich Dreams
Rich Dreams is a safe platform for students to showcase their success journey in the program, journal, build connections, develop their professional profiles, and work together toward achieving their dreams. Thank you to Rich Dreams for sponsoring access to their software for our schools. |
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Duku Fore - Helping students chase their dreams
As well as being the founder of Rich Dreams, Duku is an internationally renowned inspirational speaker, Entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, UN Delegate and Author. In his keynote, Duku spoke with students about his experiences coming to Australia as a refugee, finding his voice, and learning to build his own innovations for good, including coding and Beta testing the Rich Dreams Platform. |
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NSW Department of Education Grant |
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In 2023 TOI received a new grant from the NSW Department of Education, to fund enrolments and travel for students from 10 additional schools from regional, low socio-economic and First Nations communities. This grant allowed TOI to reach communities where we could have the greatest impact. Some of our funded students visited the city of Sydney for the first time. Thank you to SISP for facilitating this opportunity! |
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In 2023 the UNSW Digital Grid Futures Institute sponsored the TOI Pitch for the Planet Competition. As partners for this capstone event, UNSW provided the case study challenge, supporting students in their exploration of sustainability, and sustainable innovations. They will be sponsoring the case study and our event yet again in 2024. |
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TOI is built through the philanthropy and hard work of our community of passionate change makers, who believe that the future is female. They say it takes a village to raise a child– this is the case for the next generation of female innovators. Every year, more than 100 women in industry contribute as volunteers, building and delivering the TOI program. TOI is now oversubscribed, and we need your help to reach more schools in the most high impact communities. Your support is helping us roll out TOI’s comprehensive six month curriculum to girls and teachers across NSW, along with making scholarships available to First Nations students, those in regional / rural areas, and students from low socio-economic communities (in partnership with the NSW Department of Education). As well as expanding our team, we have an ever growing need to assist students with access to laptops, travel and accommodation (let us know if you can partner with us for any of these needs!). With your help, we are increasing female participation in STEM, and accelerating a new generation of female leadership, and talent. 90% of students who complete TOI report a boost in their confidence, communication skills, digital literacy, interest in choosing STEM subjects and engaging with STEM fields of work and learning. Together, we're forging new pathways for young women into industry, supported by cutting edge educational opportunities and powerful networks of female mentors and advocates. |
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On behalf of The Orbispace Initiative Team, we thank everyone for their amazing support and commitment to the 2023 cohort. We couldn't do this without you. We hope you have enjoyed this update, and can see first hand how your input is transforming education, and accelerating the next generation of female innovators. We're looking forward to seeing you all in 2024.
Endless thanks also to the dedicated and passionate TOI Team and Board.
Anna-Grace Millward (Founder), Agnes Kang (CEO)
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TOI is an ACNC registered charity. Our program has been built and delivered by people who volunteer in support of women. Special thanks to our board members, as well as the education consultants who helped build the program such as Margaret Shepherd, President of the Australian Science Teachers Association, and Felicity Conneely and Geoff Martin, Education Advisors. |
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Follow us on Instagram @orbispace |
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