Hello beautiful world! We are Future Ada — a Spokane, Washington based 501(c)3 non-profit. We are named after Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage’s proposed mechanical general-purpose computer. She is considered to have written the first ever computer program in the mid-1800s. We find her story incredibly inspiring and our hope is to inspire and support the current and future Ada Lovelaces of the world!
Securing space for women and non-binary individuals in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) is our primary mission. Our overall vision is to have fully diverse and inclusive STEAM fields. We work toward this goal via support and advocacy for women and non-binaries of all ages and at all levels of their career or academic studies. Between trainings, workshops, mentorship, and community education we can help ensure we have the pipeline full up front with the next generation coming into STEAM and that those on their career path feel supported enough to stay. The so called “pipeline problem” is broad and we believe it needs to be addressed from a variety of angles.
As an organization, we decided it was important to focus on STEAM instead of the traditional STEM fields. Going with STEAM provides inclusion of the arts and helps push traditional sciences to be more creative and think outside the box. The more we can collaborate and learn from the arts community the stronger our world will be.
We know diverse STEAM industries are going to be crucial for solving the world’s problems of tomorrow. The problem solvers who drive the world need to be representative of the world they are developing solutions for. Only when you have a diverse team compiled together will you get the diverse set of perspectives needed for strong problem solving. It’s been shown that diverse teams are more creative and more innovative which are exactly what we need when coming up with new solutions for the world’s challenges.
While we are still a young organization, having only been a bright idea during the summer of 2017, we have grown, gained community support, learned a lot, and kicked off some great programs. We are super excited about the work we are doing and what our programs will be able to offer to the community going forward! Please follow along on our journey, jump on board via volunteering, or send us financial support. We would love to have you here with us on this important mission.