MakerGirl - Creating Unstoppable Forces Who Say “Yes!” to Challenges of the Future
Girls live and dream as unstoppable forces who say “Yes!” to the challenges of the future – that’s a pretty great vision statement from the mission-driven organization MakerGirl. In October of 2014, MakerGirl started as an idea in an entrepreneurship class at the University of Illinois. Just a few months later, the students offered their first pilots to inspire young girls to be active in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
MakerGirl sessions are for girls aged 7-10, led by university STEM women, and teach young girls 3D printing and other technologies. This summer, MakerGirl has decided to take its program on the road – visiting various communities to expose the STEM fields to girls who otherwise would not have that opportunity. The mobile program will start in New York and end in Washington.
MakerGirl and Couragion have both followed similar timelines and certainly have common shared missions to fuel the passion of young girls and inspire them to be the catalyst for change. We believe that exposing kids to key STEM concepts and role models will improve the perception and awareness of STEM careers.
One of Couragion’s role models, Shaina Siverson, is a Product Designer in the Outdoor Products industry. As an artist, Shaina sketches backpacks, tents, and camping equipment. As a technologist, she regularly uses SOLIDWORKS and 3D printers to design and create and her models before sending them to production. And as an outdoor enthusiast, she gets to test her products first hand in the back country. Check out Shaina in our app!
I wish MakerGirl all the best – and hope that they see continued success as their program expands nationally! Check out links below to learn more. Looks like they'll be stopping near my hometown - how about yours?
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1660021. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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