STEAM Fest encourages girls to be scientists and engineers

By William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 23, 2026

   The message that Belizean girls can become scientists and engineers too was emphasized when 1,000 primary and high school students from across the country attended a 3-week Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) summer camp hosted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, which culminated in the first STEAM Festival showcase in San Ignacio last Saturday, July 17. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) supported the initiative, working together with the Education Development Center (EDC).

   “We had a camp for 17 different primary schools across the country, with over 300 girls from Standards IV, V, and VI. They did prototyping, they did designing, they did critical thinking, analytical thinking,” explained consultant Consuelo Godfrey, Ph.D., of the Women in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4iR) Component of the Skills for the Future Program. “Following that, we had 2 weeks of high school camps, where we worked with 1st and 2nd form girls. The goal was for the girls to add technology to all the different STEAM areas; so we had them do a game design. We had them do a digital windmill. We had them build robots that could move and have different behaviors,” she further explained.

   The girls were allowed to have guests from different sectors of society: conservation areas, engineering, agriculture, television, to work with the girls and talk to the girls about real-life STEAM initiatives led by women. The high school girls were able to see STEAM in real life at different sites in their district, as they visited places like the Esquivel Apiary in Corozal, the Hydro Belize dam in Cayo, the Solar Sisters in San Pedro Colombia, Toledo, and the TREES ecological site off the Hummingbird Highway. “The girls in Belmopan worked with the University of Belize, and they learned about robotics, chemistry, engineering; and so they had a really good time in actually seeing STEAM in action,” Godfrey further mentioned.

   The girls were challenged to consider solutions for real-life challenges such as plastic pollution in the ocean, climate change, water pollution, housing the homeless, trash disposal, flooding, converting waste to energy by generating biogas, and finding innovative uses for sargassum

   In the judging of projects, HydroBelize IT specialist Keila Mai presented the Best Overall Innovation award to the team of Charlynn Augustine, Ivannah Usher and Renyce Muschamp, whose “Farm Sensor” system used a soil moisture sensor to control irrigation for the optimal use of water in agriculture.

   Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora presented the awards for the Best Use of Multiple STEAM Fields to Vivan Martinez, Marceline Locario, Yasmine Mijangos and Ideleen Momzon.    

   Brianne Segura, Sathya Jimenez and Amelie Chulin won awards for Strongest Display of Teamwork, as did Idelmy Gonzalez, Arshell Samos and Ghislainey Coye.

   Ezibel Aragon, Janine Carrilo, Ariannie Lieva, Zaidrab Edwards and Bianca Guerra won the Best Team Pitch award.

   “Every one of you has the ability to solve problems, improve lives, and help shape Belize’s future through innovation,” encouraged CEO Yolanda Gongora. “When we first envisioned this program in the Ministry, our ambition extended far beyond teaching coding, robotics, or artificial intelligence. We set out to create something transformational, an extra-curricular program that would inspire girls to see themselves, not simply as users of the technology, but as innovators, creators, scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders who will draw upon the 4th Industrial Revolution skills, such as critical thinking, resilience, adaptability, curiosity, collaboration, and environmental stewardship to build a stronger Belize,” she said.

   CEO Gongora continued, “Our commitment to STEAM is not limited to summer programs; it is embedded in our national effort to prepare every learner to thrive in the rapidly changing world. Through initiatives such as the 501 Academy, we are expanding access to high-quality, digital learning resources for students and teachers across the country. Through the ConnectED program, we continue to improve digital connectivity and access to technology in our schools. We are implementing a competency-based curriculum that places greater emphasis on creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving. We are modernizing assessment to the National Student Assessment System, strengthening teachers’ professional development in digital pedagogy and STEAM education, and also advancing reforms in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TEVT) so that more young people develop the practical skills required for emerging industries.”

   “The girls in STEAM initiative is one important part of a much larger national movement, one that seeks to ensure that every child, and especially every girl, has the opportunity to discover her talents, pursue her ambitions, and contribute meaningfully to Belize. Around the world, women continue to be under-represented in many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers. Expanding opportunities for girls in STEAM is therefore not simply an education priority, it is an economic reality. Nations that harness the talents of all their people are the nations that innovate, compete, and prosper. Belize can be one of those nations,” Gongora said.