What is a SWE Adult Advocate?
A SWE adult advocate is an adult who engages with and empowers girls and young women to prepare for engineering careers. As an adult advocate, you aid SWENexters in developing their interest in STEM and engineering and supporting them throughout their educational development. You can support SWENexters by volunteering, mentoring, or leading outreach events in your community. Please join our mailing list.
Ways to Advocate
The SWENext program is a way for young girls to become a part of the SWE. Help build the SWENext Community by encouraging girls to become SWENexters. Membership is free! Refer to the SWENext Resource page for downloadable resources.
SWENext Clubs are a way to connect with SWENexters in your area. Learn more about clubs and sign up to be a SWENext Club Counselor.
Are you currently doing outreach? If so, complete the Outreach Metric Tool (OMT) to report your event so we SWE can share how members are helping to grow the SWE community.
As a youth advocate, you can encourage, support, or mentor SWENexters who are actively engaged in STEM by encouraging them to apply to various SWENext Awards. Learn more.
Promote SWE’s exclusive educator membership.
Expand your outreach efforts by collaborating with other SWE Sections or Affiliates for your next event!
Expand your outreach efforts by collaborating with other SWE Sections for your next event! Take a look at the guide, Reaching Out To Other SWE Sections, to learn best practices in connecting with a SWE Section. Need to find your local SWE Section or Affiliate? Check out the map!
You can also collaborate with partner organizations to create outreach programs with a shared mission and vision.
Interested in starting a SWENext Mentoring Program? Check out the SWENext Mentoring Program Guide.
Tools & Resources
If you organize SWENext or outreach events, you can promote your event in the SWE newsletters. Learn more.
The Outreach Toolkit offers a step-by-step process for planning your outreach events. Begin with the Event Planning Worksheet, which provides a step-by-step process for you and your team to follow for your Outreach Events. Access the Outreach Toolkit and check out SWENext resources available for download.
Micro-grants are available to support the strategic activities of SWE Organizations (Sections, MALs, Society Committees, or Affiliates). Learn more about Program Development Grants.
SWE provides approximately 15 online learning opportunities in the Advance Learning Center to help with your outreach efforts. Examples include:
- It Takes a Village: How Adult Advocates Can Support STEM Interest @ Home
- Performing Outreach in a Virtual World
- Role Models Matter 101 – Who Are Role Models and Why Do They Matter
- Role Models Matter – Bias Literacy 101
- Role Models Matter – Effectively Engaging Underserved Youth in STEM
Role Models Matter: Kickstarting STEM Interest in Girls Ages 5-11
- SWE Youth Protection: Code of Conduct & Standards for Interacting with Youth
To access the content, log in using your SWE member credentials. Select Advocacy & Outreach learning path.
Get ideas for your next outreach event from the outreach activity “playbooks” submitted by SWE Sections, Affiliates and MALs!
- Bluegrass Section SWE – Spaceship Escape Room
- Boston SWE – Environmental Challenge
- Colorado School of Mines SWE- Girls Are SMART
- Columbia River SWE – Home Scientist
- Dallas SWE – Design Your World
- Drexel University SWE – High School Mentorship
- Georgia Institute of Technology SWE – Binary Bracelets
- Houston Area SWE – Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
- IIT Ropar SWE – STEM Career Guidance
- Northern Illinois University SWE – Popsicle Stick Flashlights
- Marquette University SWE – Wind Turbines
- PittSWE – SWEtastic STEM Challenge
- San Luis Obispo SWE – Fourth Grade Days
- San Diego SWE – Girls in STEM Inspiration Day
- Southern California SWE – High School Conference
- UCLA SWE – Code LED Lights
- UC San Diego SWE – Envision STEM Outreach
- University of Lagos SWE – Rocket Balloon Car
Check out the article Breaking the Glass Ceiling Early On: How to Empower Girls in STEM for tips on how to nurture and support young girls in STEM.
