Deloitte has announced the launch of a virtual comic series Ella the Engineer, alongside free interactive toolkits, in partnership with the Ella Project. They aim to provide “at-home learning opportunities” to encourage more young girls to consider STEM careers. The story time readings and toolkits “provide a fully immersive educational experience, as parents continue to take on the role of at-home educators”, pointed out Deloitte.
The comic books are read by three of Deloitte’s women leaders, who are also featured in the books as the main characters. They share the stories of Ella the Engineer, a fearless young girl who uses science and technology to solve problems and save the day. Interactive toolkits created to complement the story time readings include materials to help foster discussions around mentorship, education, inclusion and equality, all told through a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lens.
VIRTUAL COMIC SERIES
Janet Foutty, Executive Chair of the Board at Deloitte US, reads GoPro Hedgehog. In the book, Foutty’s character encourages Ella to use analytics to piece together the whereabouts of her stolen class pet.
Nishita Henry, Chief Innovation Officer of Deloitte Consulting LLP reads The Burping Caper. In this book, Ella and her best friend work together with guidance from Henry’s character to tackle an uncontrollable burping epidemic through creative problem-solving and teamwork.
Catherine Bannister, Development and Performance leader at Deloitte Services LP, reads Glitchtown. In this story, Bannister’s character guides Ella through a challenge with the city’s Internet, teaching her about confidence and mentorship in the process.
EMPOWERING GIRLS IN STEM
Deloitte’s said that its involvement in this creative project “underscores its long-standing commitment to diversity, inclusion and STEM education”. It also marks the continuing collaboration between Deloitte and The Ella Project that began back in 2018. The series promotes female leadership and encourages young women to explore the exciting world of STEM.
The readings and toolkits are just one element of Deloitte’s ongoing mission to promote parity and empower women in STEM fields. According to research from Catalyst, women currently represent only 29% of STEM jobs in the US. Additionally, fewer than 12% of STEM jobs are held by women of colour. Representation of women among board directors in the technology industry also remains low.
“Deloitte is committed to creating unique opportunities to spark interest among young girls and other underrepresented minorities to pursue and thrive in careers in STEM and STEM adjacent fields,” stated Foutty. “We are thrilled to come together with The Ella Project by providing fun and engaging virtual learning resources for the next generation of STEM leaders. We hope parents and their children view the readings together, dive into the interactive toolkits, and inspire a lifelong interest in STEM.”
INTERACTIVE TOOLKITS
After viewing the virtual readings, students and parents are encouraged to complete the new, corresponding interactive toolkits. Within each toolkit is an electronic version of the comic book, vocabulary words from the reading materials and discussion guides prompting conversations related to the issue’s themes of mentorship, teamwork, self-confidence and creative problem-solving. Parents are also encouraged to keep the conversation going by sharing photos of their child engaging with Ella and the toolkit on social media.
“With the need for at-home learning and activities this summer and possibly beyond, we are delighted to offer at-home resources that bolster an interest in STEM education in a valuable continuation of our collaboration with Deloitte,” said Ella Founder Anthony Onesto. “As our partnership continues into areas we didn’t even imagine, our goal remains to inspire future leaders.”
Check out Ella the Engineer’s digital resources including the virtual readings and interactive toolkits for more details.
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