An organization that encourages diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is launching a new satellite program in the Yukon.

Alison Anderson has been selected as the first associate chair of the Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (WWEST) at Yukon College.

“I’ve had a lot of support in my life which got me to where I am now, and I am grateful for this opportunity to provide support to others,” Anderson told a small crowd at college on Wednesday.

Anderson hopes the program will become the hub for the promotion of diversity and inclusion in STEM throughout the Yukon.

“Definitely there are a lot of great groups in the Yukon who are already doing this work, so we just want to be kind of the central mass that supports all these other groups, help them collaborate, provide resources,” she explained.

Over the one-year term, Anderson plans to establish a WWEST Partners Program and strengthen partnerships with other STEM diversity champions to provide engagement and support.

She will also gather data on demographics in STEM in the Yukon to better understand the state of the field as well as identify challenges and opportunities.

Anderson kicked off her new role Wednesday evening by hosting the first meeting of the Yukon STEM Outreach Collective.

She said the intention is to get Yukon groups engaged in STEM outreach together four times a year to discuss ways to work together.

“I know that this kind of a community makes a difference in keeping underrepresented groups in STEM,” she said.

Along with the new associate chair position, Anderson is the technology and innovation officer at the college.

In this role, she is responsible for identifying technology innovation potential and helping Yukoners take their technology ideas to the next level.

Anderson is also the chair of Engineers Yukon 30 by 30.

That organization aims to increase the representation of women in engineering to 30 per cent of newly licensed engineers by 2030.

She called the organization “an amazing community of female engineers”, and said they meet often to share experiences and support one another.

She shared the story of a young female engineer who, early in the group’s inception, shared that she was unhappy in her job, as it was unfulfilling and she was being harassed.

Anderson said they provided her with mentorship and support until she found a new job in the field.

“This young woman who said she had hated engineering is now supported by a community and thriving in her engineering career,” she said.

As well, Anderson hopes to expand this type of support in her new position.

Research has shown encouraging and retaining women, people of colour, Indigenous people and gender non-conforming people in the STEM industry can be a challenge.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2011, women made up 39 per cent of university graduates aged 25 to 34 from STEM programs compared to 66 per cent of all graduates.

And Anderson said there can be “insidious things” in the industry that are “hard to put your finger on.” Those include career stagnation and microaggressions like being interrupted in meetings.

The new WWEST satellite at Yukon College will be one of three programs across the Yukon and B.C.

They are the brainchild of Dr. Lesley Shannon, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the BC and Yukon region (aka WWEST).

Shannon wanted to expand the organization’s impact beyond lower mainland B.C.

Shannon noted that inclusivity and embracing differences is beneficial for the STEM field.

“If you only keep hiring the same person, then you lose out on opportunities,” she said. “It’s time to open the doors and include everyone.”

According to WWEST, diversity in STEM has been shown to increase financial performance, provide access to more talent, and strengthen innovation and improves governance.

The new WWEST Yukon associate chair position is supported with $10,000 in initial funding from WWEST and in-kind support from Yukon College.

A number of Yukon organizations and the territorial government are also providing $24,000 in funding.