Supporting Girls in Technology

Through leadership development, networking, and cool hands-on technology experiences starting in grade school, Michigan Council of Women in Technology is helping cultivate young women to find success in tech fields. With a lofty vision to make Michigan the number one state for women in technology, the council knows they need to snag and keep the attention of young girls to build a strong multi-generational community of support.
 
How do they do it? MCWT offers a slew of diverse programs and initiatives. Here’s a sampling of its 2014 programs and events – all aimed at developing girls’ interests and skills in technology.
 
GET-IT Program
Girls Exploring Together Information Technology (GET-IT) is an after-school program for high school girls to gain hands-on experience with technology by participating in activities like an annual Web Design Contest and Robofest (a LEGO Robotics competition). From September through May, the GET-IT clubs meet regularly under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Three schools are currently participating in this program: Plymouth-Canton High School, Detroit Cristo Rey High School, and University High School in Ferndale.
 
Schools can start their own GET-IT clubs with enthusiastic support from MCWT. “We pay for a teacher’s stipend and provide supplies,” says Janette Phillips, executive director of MCWT. “We need to have committed teachers.” In addition, the program can be bolstered through interactive options like job shadowing opportunities, business speakers, and field trips. This year, students will enjoy a field trip to the Mercedes-Benz Financial Services facility.

With a lofty vision to make Michigan the number one state for women in technology, the council knows they need to snag and keep the attention of young girls to build a strong multi-generational community of support.

 
Consistent with MCWT’s mission, the GET-IT Program nurtures young students’ interests in technology and gives girls the skills to succeed in college and beyond, offering experiences in math and science, as well as contact with a successful network of women in STEM fields.
 
Olympian Event
On February 28, MCWT hosted a leadership event at the Canton Public Library featuring two renowned U.S. Olympians in rowing: Esther Lofgren and Mary Whipple.
 
Lofgren is a 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist and currently training for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Whipple is the most decorated U.S. female rower as a three-time Olympic Medalist (silver in Athens 2004, and gold in Beijing 2008 and in London 2012). Both highly successful in their pursuits, they talked to the girls about what it takes to achieve goals and stay focused.
 
Girls are IT! Conference
Last week, MCWT hosted 300 girls for a free technology day, in cooperation with University of Michigan-Dearborn, University of Detroit Mercy, and Lawrence Tech University.  The conference – a first for MCWT and the colleges – introduced young girls to technology and showed them that a career in these fields can be exciting and fun.
 
Intended for girls in grades 4 through 12, MCWT worked with public schools in Detroit, Southfield, and Dearborn for this event. With 45 workshops total, each girl could take three workshops based on her age group. Most of the workshops involved interactive hands-on demonstrations of technology and provided information explaining why this technology is important.
 
Scholarship season
In May, MCWT makes scholarship announcements and hosts an event to showcase girls who have been awarded MCWT multi-year scholarships. Other scholarships are designed for young women in undergraduate studies who know they’re going to pursue technology careers, as well as for women in graduate school and Ph.D. programs.
 
Camp Infinity
In the summer, MCWT offers camps with diverse learning opportunities for girls. Before Phillips was executive director, she had experience with MCWT through Camp Infinity, a camp for middle school girls that her daughter attended in sixth grade. “It’s nice to observe [the program] as a parent,” Phillips says. “It was a great experience, and my daughter and I just loved it.”
 

“The goal of the camp is to spark girls’ interests in technology before culture decides for them that science and math aren’t fun anymore,” Phillips says.

There are two tracks for the girls who participate: one for those in fourth and fifth grades, and one for girls in sixth and seventh grades. Among other activities, the younger girls make a simple web page based on their interests, and the older girls learn about HTML and LEGO robotics. “The goal of the camp is to spark girls’ interests in technology before culture decides for them that science and math aren’t fun anymore,” Phillips says.
 
The camp lasts one week in the summer, and is held at three metro Detroit college campuses.  The universities also provide corporate sponsors (from Ford and GM respectively), usually women, who speak to the girls about their experiences working in IT.
 
Since the camp only costs $30 to attend, it usually sells out within a month, according to Phillips.
 
On the last day of camp, every girl gets to speak and present her web project to parents and friends, usually in front of a crowd of about 150 people. “Some are shy, some are outgoing, but they all get the chance to speak about something they’ve done and they’re proud of,” Phillips says.