Dare To STEM
Objective
In the second year of She Can STEM, Ad Council wanted to keep girls aged 11–14 engaged with science and tech rather than let interest drop off after launch. The goal was to shake the idea that STEM is a cold, talent-gated subject and prove it's creative, social, and something girls could try with their own hands, not just watch in an ad.
Solution
Players follow a link from SheCanSTEM.com/Dare-To-STEM straight into a Minecraft Java Edition server built for the campaign. Each girl lands on her own private plot and picks one of five STEM challenges to build: an aquarium, a fireworks display, a light show, a monument to a woman who inspires her, or a musical creation. Finishing a build unlocks a free ticket into a separate concert world — a sprawling map with three stages and viewing platforms where the girls' own structures have been transplanted into the crowd, so they can spot their work from the audience. On September 19, 2020, ticket holders watched a live 43-minute Ruth B. set performed inside Minecraft itself, with lighting and fireworks synced to the music and her avatar soaring over the stage at the close; anyone without a ticket could still catch the show on She Can STEM's YouTube stream.
Results
100% player retention, with logins from 19 countries and an average session of 3 hours 30 minutes. The concert livestream drew more than 23,500 YouTube views.
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Players come to the campaign through ads and social posts for Dare to STEM, which point to a landing page with instructions for joining a dedicated world inside Minecraft Java Edition — no extra installation beyond the base game is needed.
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On entering the world, each player is assigned a personal plot to build on, free to experiment without disturbing other players' work or waiting for space.
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Players explore the challenge world and pick one of five STEM-themed builds to attempt — an aquarium, a fireworks display, a light show, a monument to a woman who matters to them, or a musical object — then complete it using Minecraft's own tools, placing blocks, directing water, and wiring redstone circuits to turn the underlying STEM idea into a working structure.
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Finishing a challenge earns a free ticket to a live concert held inside Minecraft by singer Ruth B, and the strongest builds are selected to be featured during the show.
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Ticket holders enter a separate concert world, a large explorable landscape with three stages and several viewing spots, assembled from the players' own challenge builds, including the monuments to influential women.
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At the scheduled start, the show plays out live inside Minecraft itself — a 43-minute, ten-song set performed by Ruth B's avatar, with lighting, pyrotechnics, and fireworks synced to the music and a finale in which the avatar flies out over the crowd.
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Ticket holders also get a backstage meet-and-greet with Ruth B after the performance.
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Players who did not earn a ticket can watch the same concert as a livestream on the She Can STEM YouTube channel, where it stays archived afterward.
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Alongside the challenges, players can look up build tutorials from Twitch streamers and gaming influencer Meghan "Strawburry17" Camarena.
