Dow and WE are proud to team up and take the third annual WE Are Innovators Campaign across the U.S. and expand across the globe.
Whether it is helping people gain access to healthy fresh food, learning how to include different perspectives for more innovative ideas, or driving efforts to protect the environment from plastic waste, WE Are Innovators inspires elementary through secondary school age students to use their STEM skills, paired with an inclusive and sustainable mindset, to develop innovative ideas addressing challenges in their local and global communities.
“To tackle our planet’s most pressing challenges, we’re dedicated to developing future leaders who demonstrate innovative thinking, creativity, diverse perspectives and a solutions-oriented mindset,” said Dow CEO Jim Fitterling. “Through this partnership with WE – and the power of STEM, a spirit of inclusion and a commitment to sustainability – we want to empower youth to know that they can create real and impactful change in our world.”
“Thanks to Dow and WE Are Innovators, schools across the United States and beyond will have the opportunity to put forward their ideas to help solve some of today’s most pressing challenges,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder, WE. “Empowering these bright young leaders will create a ripple effect of good and help inspire more socially conscious local and global communities.”
WE Are Innovators Campaign materials are delivered through WE Schools, WE’s free year-long service learning program designed to enhance a school or community’s existing social initiatives or spark new ones. WE Are Innovators provides teachers with free access to curriculum modules focused on relevant themes including Sustainable Innovation, Inclusive Leadership, Circular Economy and Nature, Food Waste, Energy and Housing, and Transportation Solutions. Following these modules, students have an opportunity to connect with a specific theme, identify an aligned issue in their community and work with their teachers to innovate a solution through the WE Are Innovators Challenge. Challenge participants will have an opportunity to submit their solutions for a chance to win a financial grant awarded to their school to help implement their project.
Dow’s STEM Ambassadors will be deployed to act as sponsors of the program in Dow communities – offering hands on training and mentorship throughout the Campaign.
WE Are Innovators is open to all youth globally from grades 4 through 12.