165 An Approach to Encourage Girls' Protagonism in Exact Sciences and Engineering Amanda Nunes Rocha 1 , Ingrid de Castro Alves 2 , Larissa Pereira da Costa Santos 3 , Laura Beatriz Lima de Sousa 3 , Dianne Magalhães Viana 3 , Maura Angélica Milfont Shzu 4 , Simone Lisniowski 5 1 Exact Sciences Institute, University of Brasília, Brasil 2 Chemistry Institute, University of Brasília, Brasil 3 Faculty of Technology, University of Brasília, Brasil 4 Faculty of Gama, University of Brasília, Brasil 5 Faculty of Education, University of Brasília, Brasil Email: amandarocha377@gmail.com, ingriddecastroalves@gmail.com, larissapsanntos@gmail.com, laurabeatrizsousa2@gmail.com, diannemv@unb.br, maura@unb.br, simonefe@unb.br DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7057803 Abstract The 21st century has come highlighting the world's concerns regarding competitiveness in face of new demands arising from accelerated technological advancement and, on the other hand, with inclusion, sustainability and quality of life. Therefore, gender equity in STEM fields has also become part of the goals of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, with the aim of building a less exclusionary world. Faced with this urgent need to design a more inclusive future, several approaches have been proposed to attract girls to the exact sciences and engineering using active learning strategies and valuing the protagonism of these students in their school environment. In order to do so, a group of six ninth grade girls were invited to participate in the pilot project Accelerating Girls in Elementary School, conducted by undergraduate students in the exact sciences and engineering, and accompanied by professors from the school and from the University of Brasilia. In it, the Elementary School students were organized into a team to propose and present STEM hands-on practices, according to curricular contents, to their own class. The steps for designing such activities include weekly meetings for the development of the flipped classroom, quizzes and hands-on activities. Aspects and outcomes related to this process are described and discussed based on the literature, motivating reflections on strategies used to develop skills and competencies in STEM with young girls. Keywords: Active Learning; Elementary School; Girls Protagonism; STEM Education. 1 Introduction In recent years, the rapid technological development, on a worldwide scale, has been causing movements in education and in the job market in search of greater female inclusion, since women were historically placed on the margins of this academic and professional space. Despite advances, education is still not universal and as gender inequalities are still significant, and a current worry, not only the girls access to a current school, but also the limitations they face in the academic environment, more specifically, is reflected in the low number of girls regarding STEM education. In line with current demands, the 2030 Agenda was conceived on September 2015 during the United Nations General Assembly. It is a document that encompasses objectives with a view to tackling global problems for the next 15 years (2016-2030), with these sustainable development objectives (SDGs) supported by three dimensions: social, environmental and economic. Among the 17 SDGs, two stand out, aiming at improvements in terms of quality education and gender equality, SDG4 and SDG5, respectively. In a report made in 2018, UNESCO — a United Nations agency specializing in education — places education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as one of the bases of the 2030 Agenda to achieve its goals, stressing that “ensuring that girls and women have equal access to STEM education and, ultimately, to STEM careers, is imperative for human rights, scientific and developmental perspectives” (UNESCO, 2018, p.15). Initiatives that take place at school, such as extracurricular activities, and joint projects with universities, have positive impacts on girls' interest in subjects and careers in the STEM field (Oliveira, Unbehaum, & Gava, 2019).