Tool #8: Helping

Social impact is key to sustainable innovation. Coming from Turkey, I noticed an inequality regarding access to quality education. I aim to have as much impact as I can have regarding female representation in STEM and equal access to knowledge. I wish to create a larger scale version of my educational video translation efforts. I believe that the education given in in rural areas is insufficient in terms of scientific demonstrations and practical applications. This requires professionals from the industry to connect with students from an early age, with an emphasis on female STEM representation. This requires a coordinated effort to bring industry professionals to these schools: this will be a key feature of the initiative I am designing.

Another problem that hinders the progress of these schools is the way they receive donations. People are voicing their concerns regarding the receiving ends of such donations. The mistrust in centralized donation systems might be causing them to not send the donation, worrying that it might either be a scam or that the receiving end might not disclose how they used the funds. Not seeing the positive impact of the donations is also discouraging and hinders interest. Most of these transactions also require lengthy payment processes with IBAN codes for wire transfers. This is why I think that a decentralized system involving cryptocurrency powered low-cost fast transfers might be considered. A smart “donation” contract that executes when both parties fulfill the requirements can restore trust and encourage more people to join and see the impact of their help.

I am calling this project “Bilim Kızları” which translates to “Girls of Science”. I hope have an impact on the drastic gender gap in Turkish universities’ engineering programs. If the implementation becomes successful, I wish to advance this pilot program and bring it to other countries as well.