Brussels-based Greenlight For Girls shares the fun of science worldwide

A Brussels-based organisation dedicated to encouraging girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics has reached more than 12,000 girls worldwide, holding 90 events with the help of 2,500 volunteers.

Founded in 2011, Greenlight for Girls has in the past year held an event at the Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks, launched in Amman and Warsaw and recently worked with the White House executive pastry chef at the foundation's Pittsburgh launch.

Meanwhile, here in Brussels, on a Saturday afternoon in February, Greenlight for Girls held their annual G4GDay at the International School of Brussels in Boitsfort. "We have been holding this event annually," says founder Melissa Rancourt. "It's a moment when we can engage girls between 11 and 15 and show them that STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - is in everything around them. It's linked to many careers in the future and it's really to engage in the fun and to start thinking about the future and that 'anything is possible' which is what we yell at the end of every event."

Throughout the day, hundreds of girls in custom-decorated lab coats went from workshop to workshop in high spirits, their laughter and exclamations echoing in the halls. Some were learning how to use a green screen as they made a movie about climate change, others extracted their own DNA to make very personal necklaces. Other hands-on fun included 3D printing and a Martian chemistry lab.

Jacqueline Rossi, 14 years old, is a G4GDay regular. When she was just 11 she created an educational app for smartphones, called J's Flashcards, which aims to help students improve their vocabulary over time.

"They can input unlimited words into the app and they can quiz themselves on it as well as check their progress over time," she explains. "A special feature of the app is that I pre-populated it with 5,000-plus words that are commonly tested in standardised tests. It's very focused on helping students taking the SAT, SSAT, ACT and TOEFL to boost their vocabulary scores." The app is available for free on iTunes.

"I was actually sitting by the poolside in the summer. I usually read and when I was reading I came across words I didn't know so I'd write them down on paper flashcards and it was very messy because they fell on the floor and the ink would run and it was such a big mess. And so I just came up with an idea - it would be great if I could store all my cards in one place where they wouldn't be ruined or lost - that's how it came about."

Next, Greenlight for Girls is launching in Barcelona and starting a university scholarship for girls in need in Rajasthan and Calcutta.