International Day of the Girl
11 October 2021
Today, 11th October marks International Day of the Girl, a day dedicated to encouraging young people, and particularly young women, into science and engineering careers.
o celebrate International Day of the Girl, CEO and Director of the Museum Tamalie Newbery joined Amanda McLaren, McLaren ambassador and daughter of McLaren founder Bruce McLaren at a meeting with 17-year-old Maisy, an activist for Plan International, the global charity for children’s rights, to discuss the values that are shared by Brooklands Museum and McLaren Automotive.
Maisy from Wales, was invited to become the Chief Executive Officer of luxury supercar maker McLaren Automotive, taking over the reins from McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt, and one of her tasks for the day was to inspect the new exhibition, McLaren: Driven by design at Brooklands Museum, which features a full-scale LEGO 720S supercar
Tamalie Newbery said:
"Our goal at Brooklands is to get people excited about the solutions that engineering can offer for the future and the new McLaren exhibition demonstrates the different roles that young people can aspire to by choosing a career in STEM. It was fantastic to meet such an enthusiastic young woman who is advocating the opportunities for people in this field.
Brooklands has a rich history of pioneers who paved the way for engineering and technical developments in the modern industries of motorsport and aviation, normal people who were driven by finding ways to solve challenges and make things happen that had never happened before. The Museum’s vision, ‘to inspire people to shape the future through Brooklands’ heritage of innovation and endeavour’, is all about getting the next generation interested and involved with science and engineering, building on the legacy of Brooklands to make a difference in the world.”
It comes as new research* from Plan International shows that 1 in 4 (25%) girls aged 11 to 18 have wanted to try out a science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subject or job but have either been told it is for boys, were worried about being negatively judged, or were unsure since they only saw boys doing it in the media. It also showed that nearly half of girls (47%) have heard through media, friends, or family that ‘girls are not good at STEM’.
Maisy, CEO for the day, McLaren Automotive said:
“Plan International is about smashing stereotypes, changing attitudes, and unlearning lessons because a lot of girls think they should be playing with dolls and not cars, and that’s not right.
“This partnership between McLaren Automotive and Plan International is inspiring young women to consider STEM careers and achieve their full potential.”
The new McLaren: Driven by design exhibition is open now. For more information click here.
*The polling was conducted online by Opinium Research amongst a representative sample of 1,000 11 to 18-year-old girls in the UK from 15 September to 23 September 2021.
Maisy, CEO for the day, McLaren Automotive meets CEO and Director of the Museum Tamalie Newbery and Amanda McLaren, McLaren ambassador and daughter of McLaren founder Bruce McLaren
Maisy, CEO for the day, McLaren Automotive visits the new exhibition, McLaren: Driven by Design