Girls 20 Summit

As the only academic partner of 2013’s G(irls)20 Summit, McMaster University approached us in early 2013 to help create an original, thought-provoking video exploring the…

Target Audience:
Prospective Engineering Students, Government Agencies, Funders, General Public
Platform(s):
Web & Conference Opener

About This Project

As the only academic partner of 2013’s G(irls)20 Summit, McMaster University approached us in early 2013 to help create an original, thought-provoking video exploring the pressing global need for women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, or ‘S.T.E.M.’ careers. Double Barrel’s founding partners Roslyn Mugford and Lee Hillman brought their years of experience as filmmakers to the table to collaborate with McMaster University once again on an engaging outreach project.

“We entrusted Double Barrel to communicate our values and our vision, and to work collaboratively with us to share our unique story with the world,” says Arlene Dosen, manager of recruitment and communications in the Faculty of Engineering. “It was a distinct pleasure to work with Lee and Roz and the final product was indeed worthy of an international stage.  Lee and Roz are consummate professionals, and I would work with them again in a heartbeat!  ”

“When we were asked to work with McMaster Engineering on this mini-documentary, we were excited at the possibility of creating a piece that would inform and inspire audiences,” says executive director, Roz Allen. “It’s always a pleasure to produce engaging, forward-thinking material, especially when the message is this important. McMaster and the G(irls) 20 Summit have succeeded in highlighting the countless possibilities for women who take on leadership roles in our society. We couldn’t be more pleased to have brought this message to life on screen!”

Hosted by Elaine Kunda, member of the McMaster Alumni Association Board of Directors and lead advisor of the G(irls) 20 Summit, this ‘mini-doc’ intends to inform and inspire women who may become our future engineers. In the video, McMaster faculty members Heather Sheardown, Saideh Razavi and Sarah Dickson examine the reasons why there are fewer girls in these fields and share insights into the economic and social benefits of recruiting women into them. And engineering students, like Trinette Wright, share their passion and commitment to solving the world’s problems.

Elaine Kunda is impressed with the end results of this collaboration. “Our original plan was to video tape a basic ‘Q&A’ with some faculty and students from McMaster Engineering, but Double Barrel Studios came in and took our simple idea and turned it into an amazing short documentary. It is wonderful to see how they brought our idea to life!”

The G(irls) 20 Summit included special guest speakers such as Arianna Huffington (founder of The Huffington Post), Jennifer Buffet (NoVo Foundation president) and Lauren Bush Lauren (founder of FEED). The G(irls) 20 Summit delegates will spend several days in workshops (June 15 – 18) with two days learning from presentations and panel discussions that will be livestreamed on www.girls20summit.com . The delegates will have the opportunity to view the McMaster video and to draw their own conclusions about what can be done to open up economic possibilities for women around the globe. They will then engage with the concepts and finally, spend a day developing a communiqué that will be presented to the G20 Leaders Summit in Russia in September 2013.

“Attracting women to scientific or technological fields is a challenge for most G20 countries,” says Kunda. “I think the video raises topics that will stimulate an engaging discussion and it will resonate with girls and women who see it.”