In a landmark step toward closing the gender gap in male-dominated innovation fields, Belize’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology wrapped up its first-ever nationwide Girls in STEAM Festival over the weekend in San Ignacio. Backed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through its global Skills for the Future initiative, the event brought hundreds of young female students from across the country into hands-on learning experiences designed to reshape their understanding of what they can achieve in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The festival was structured in two sequential phases, starting with a week-long residential camp for upper-level primary school students. A total of 17 institutions from every region of Belize participated, with more than 300 girls enrolled from Standards 4 through 6. Dr. Consuelo Godfrey, the program’s lead consultant for Girls in STEAM, explained that the introductory camp was built around one core mission: to demystify STEAM fields for young learners before they internalize harmful gender stereotypes about technical work. “The goal was for those girls to be exposed to all aspects of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics,” Godfrey noted, emphasizing that early exposure is critical to encouraging long-term interest in these career paths.
Following the primary school camp, a two-week secondary-level camp launched with a deeper focus on integrating practical technology across every STEAM discipline. To help students see STEAM work as tangible, accessible part of everyday life in Belize, organizers arranged immersive site visits to local industry and innovation hubs. Participants toured key locations including the Esquivel Apiary in Corozal, Hydro Belize’s Chalillo Dam in Cayo, the women-led clean energy network Solar Sisters in San Pedro Columbia, and the T.R.E.E.S. environmental research organization along the Hummingbird Highway. Keila Mai, a female STEAM professional who spoke to the secondary camp participants, shared actionable advice for young women entering male-dominated fields: “Every time I felt like an outsider or felt that heavy weight of a male-dominated field, I leaned into my curiosity. Curiosity leaves no room for fear.”
The festival closed with a public showcase of the original projects developed by the participating students, followed by an award ceremony to honor the most innovative and impactful work. Yolanda Gongora, Belize’s Chief Education Officer, reflected on the transformational vision behind the event, noting that its purpose extends far beyond teaching technical skills like coding, robotics, or artificial intelligence. “When we first envisioned this programme at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, our ambition extended far beyond teaching coding, robotics or artificial intelligence. We set out to create something transformational: an extracurricular programme that would inspire girls to see themselves not simply as users of technology, but as innovators, creators, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs and leaders,” Gongora said.
Karla Gonzalez, the IDB’s resident representative in Belize, echoed that optimism, noting that closing the gender gap in STEAM will benefit not just individual women, but Belize’s entire economy and research ecosystem. “Belize, like the rest of the world, needs more women studying maths and science and leading research, and who knows, in the future maybe we will get a Nobel Prize,” Gonzalez said. Organizers have announced plans to make the Girls in STEAM Festival an annual event, expanding participation to more schools across the country in coming years.