Power and empowerment of local active communities¶
Community builds change. The central problem approached by shemakes is a systemic one, therefore needs a systemic approach for its resolution, not only from a spectre of society, but fromdifferent categories of stakeholders. The more diverse the categories of community members involved, the more potentioal to contribute to a positive alteration of the gender inequality.
Community engagement as seen by the shemakes Labs has a local perspective, grounds the Lab in its territory and population needs, serving as a platform for people to meet, learn, enable themselves and others, by usinglabs as launching platforms to discover moore and explore more alternatives for positive change. It acts as a membrane, providing knowledge and expertise from all over the world and packaging it into local and personal ways, to engage with the community.
Through shemakes, the issue of gender inequality is adreesed with a focus on girls and women, we cannot call ourselves inclusive, while excluding a category. With the role of advocates for diversity and inclusion, men and boys can play a unique role in reducing the gender gap and increasing the presence of women in the STEM or T&C sector.
The activities undertaken in shemakes are designed and inspired based on the Quadruple Helix Framework, which is a model that recognizes four major actors in the innovation system: science, policy, industry and society.
The Quadruple Helix Model adapted by Fraunhofer (2016), originally developed by Carayannis and Campbell (2009). Copyright © 2015 Fraunhofer
The concept - highlights the importance of actively integrating the public into innovationprojects as well as the role of society as a major actor in national innovation systems.
The common goal of the Community Activities is to develop a long lasting collaboration, aiming to generate positive change for women and at the same time creating/engaging a community that can address the issue of gender and implement/disseminate the results and solutions, under a shemakes umbrella.