What is #FIRSTLikeAGirl?
#FIRSTLikeAGirl is an initiative to get girls more interested in STEM work fields by sharing the success stories of women in FIRST and STEM. According to the American Community Survey in 2019, only 26% of women work in STEM-related fields, while the other 74% are men. #FIRSTLikeAGirl hopes to showcase many incredible women and their experiences and stories with FIRST to inspire young girls. The #FIRSTLikeAGirl initiative was created by FRC team #1902 Exploding Bacon. Through the #FIRSTLikeAGirl media campaign we will provide girls with confidence, leadership skills, and public speaking abilities, and encourage them to become active members of the FIRST community.
What is the Next Step?
This is the second year FRC team f(x) #6004 is acting to help in the #FIRSTLikeAGirl initiative to get girls in the Johnston County area more active and excited about STEM. We plan and have shared resources for free tech classes for girls in high school and middle school as well as in-person community events for middle schoolers and elementary schoolers. Keep checking this site often for updates.
Our VR Class
On December 4th, through a partnership with Clayton Library and Oak Ridge Computer Science Girls out of Tennessee, our SWENext club hosted a free Intro to VR class. It was for 5th through 8th grade girls with the intention to inspire and engage them in STEM.
Resources
TechGirlz (6th-8th): “TechGirlz is a nonprofit program of Creating IT Futures, a 501(c)3 nonprofit of CompTIA, that inspires middle school girls to explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers. TechGirlz is accomplishing its mission through the creation of free, fun, interactive “TechShopz” led by industry professionals, community leaders, and students.” www.techgirlz.org
ORCSGirls (5th-8th) “Founded 2017. Our mission is to inspire middle school girls to actively explore the possibilities of technology to empower their future careers. We are organizing coding and technology workshops for Middle School girls in the Oak Ridge area and beyond.” www.orcsgirls.org
Technovation Girls (6th-8th): “We are a global tech education nonprofit that empowers girls and families to become leaders, creators, and problem-solvers. We offer two programs – Technovation Girls and Technovation Families – which bring kids and adults together to solve big problems in their communities.”
American Association of University Women (AAUW): “The Greensboro, NC branch AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. The Greensboro Branch provides quality member service, community engagement, and multichannel communications to foster a growing community of members, supporters, students, and organizations who advance the AAUW mission.” https://greensboro-nc.aauw.net/
Girls Code Chess: “We inspire and teach girls the game of chess and computer science while closing the gender gaps in these fields.” https://www.chess.com/club/girls-code-chess-community
Girls Who Code (6th-12th): “Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does.” https://girlswhocode.com/
ProjectCSGirls (6th-8th): “Founded during the summer of 2013, ProjectCSGIRLS is a 501(c)(3) international nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in computing and technology. Our unique idea of a technology and computer science competition for middle school girls stemmed from the fact that a large chunk of learning and development occurs during the critical middle school period. In today’s world where technology is becoming increasingly prominent and essential to nearly every field of study, we aim to instill a love for computing and technology in middle school girls. We hope to show them how innovative and creative they can be and encourage them to develop ideas that are powerful, disruptive, and cutting-edge.” https://www.projectcsgirls.com/
FIRSTLadies: “A community for anyone involved in FIRST that supports women in STEM. FIRSTLadies was made to provide girls a chance to make connections, and women from FIRSTLadies can be found all over the world.” http://www.ladiesinfirst.com/
SWENext: “SWENext is a way for girls to become a part of the SWE (Society of Women Engineers) community. Girls who use SWENext have access to programs, mentors, and resources to help develop useful skills. SWENext is a great way to learn about engineering and programming. We invite Johnston County middle and high school girls to join our club.” https://swe.org/
ELFI: ELFI is an organization that assists and educates borrowers on student loan debts. They recently put together a guide to the best STEM scholarships for women, helping many women pursue their dreams in STEM when they wouldn’t have otherwise. A total of 11 scholarships are listed, some being as much as $10,000. https://www.elfi.com/11-scholarships-for-women-in-stem/