Seeing Life Through My Daughter’s Eyes
I’m often asked why this cause is important to me? I’m a husband, father and I’ve built my career in Digital, Marketing and Strategy by leveraging Technology. Personally, my wife and I have two wonderful kids – Adrianna 6 and Marcus 3. As like most parents, we believed from the start that our job would be to make sure that we raise our kids to be curious, confident, educated and independent so that they can reach their full potential.
Now mind you, my wife Cara-Lynne had always known this; however, me seeing life now through my daughter’s eyes, I started becoming increasingly aware of external factors (toys, media, culture) to dissuade Adrianna’s interest in STEM. You can see this as you browse toy aisles in stores or search for programs on Netflix. Most Girls’ toys and shows revolve around fashion and crafts, boys’ toys and shows revolve around mechanics and building.
To make matters worse, we also became aware that while jobs in STEM related domains are growing three times faster than other parts of the economy and commanding premium wages, these jobs employ less than 25 per cent women. So, wanting the best life for our daughter, my wife and I became more involved, thoughtful and deliberate with activities and toys – both FREE and paid – to encourage curiosity and confidence in STEM.
We then started discussing the topic and sharing our experiences and activities with other parents, like my co-founder Baanu and other founding members, and it struck us quickly that where we are fortunate to have access to resources and an understanding of the importance of STEM, that many Canadian parents and caregivers do not. With the desire for all Canadian kids – particularly girls in lower socio-economic areas – to be given equal opportunity to build our future, Dads for Daughters in STEM was born.
If you can relate to my story or have your own, it’s time to get involved! Small changes over time can make a profound impact. Here are a few simple things you can do today to start making a difference:
Be Curious: Learn more about the importance of building curiosity and confidence in STEM by going through or visiting our website and join us on Social Media.
Be Confident: Be more involved and try our DIY STEM Activities with your kids. Trust me, doing these activities alongside your kids isn’t only fun, but in addition to your kids building confidence, so will you!
Be Contagious: Share our DIY STEM Blog activities and stories and share our social media posts (much more to come). Even better, share with us your story or STEM activity and we’ll profile it on our Blog. Please send an email to: info@d4dstem.com.
Be a Change Agent: We’re looking for volunteers to join our Committees or to be Community Champions in your city or within your organization. We’re planning a couple fundraising events (i.e. STEM Toy Drive, Dads & Daughters STEM Experience) and would greatly benefit from your leadership and support. If you’re interested, please send an email to: info@d4dstem.com
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