Wi-Filles: Empowering the Next Generation of Digital Girls

Despite the digital sector shaping nearly every aspect of our lives, girls and women remain significantly underrepresented in technology and many related future-oriented careers. These gaps often appear early, influenced by stereotypes, lack of role models, and unequal access to opportunities, especially for young girls growing up in underserved communities.

Wi-Filles was created to respond to this challenge. By reaching girls at a pivotal moment in their academic journey, the program helps them discover new possibilities, build self-confidence, and envision themselves as active contributors to the digital world. For La Fondation Dassault Systèmes, supporting Wi-Filles reflects a deep belief that innovation is richer and more sustainable when it is inclusive and human-centered.

Wi-Filles is a digital awareness and empowerment program designed for volunteer girls aged 14 to 17. In partnership with FACE Yvelines who is leading the project, La Fondation Dassault Systèmes accompanies 12 eighth-grade girls from Gustave Courbet Middle School in Trappes, a city located in the Yvelines department, west of Paris. From September 2025 to February 2026, the girls from a priority education embark on a transformative journey, under the guidance of a woman mentor, a volunteer from Dassault Systèmes, who walks alongside them as a role model throughout the program.

Through seven interactive workshops, students discover the many facets of the digital world and explore a wide range of related careers through site visits and inspiring encounters. The program offers concrete exposure to everyday professional realities by connecting participants with women engineers and digital professionals from Dassault Systèmes, who share their personal and career journeys. Topics explored include how virtual worlds serve real life, women in science, cybersecurity, workplace culture, the makers culture, and digital technologies applied to cultural heritage. The experience concludes with a collective presentation, giving the girls an opportunity to reflect on what they have learned and gained throughout the program.

From the very first meeting at the school, the girls’ curiosity, energy, and eagerness to learn were striking. Throughout the workshops, they have shown strong engagement, asking thoughtful and relevant questions, actively participating in discussions, and demonstrating a real ability to grasp topics. In particular, their sharp understanding and growing acumen around cybersecurity issues highlighted both their critical thinking skills and their appetite for subjects that might have been perceived as too technical or more difficult to tackle at first.

As the program unfolds, Wi-Filles strengthens their self-confidence, nurtures their autonomy, broadens their understanding of digital careers, and reinforces their ability to make informed and ambitious choices about their academic and professional futures. Beyond immediate learning outcomes, through meeting with inspiring role models, the program helps the girls recognize their own potential and envision themselves in fields where women remain underrepresented. By planting seeds of curiosity and self-confidence, Wi-Filles contributes to reducing gender stereotypes and fighting school disengagement. 

Adopted by all United Nations member states, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. La Fondation Dassault Systèmes supports the Wi-Filles program in meeting four of these goals: Quality Education, Gender Equality, Reduced Inequalities, and Partnerships for the Goals.