Girl Power 21st Century is a three-year project that addresses the need for early educational intervention to increase the number of women pursuing technical education and careers. The project is designed as a model collaboration between a higher education institution (Stony Brook University), a community organization (Suffolk County Girl Scouts Council), and a local school district (Riverhead School District) with a high proportion of minority and/or lower income families. The current program builds on a successful four-year-old program, Girl Power: Growing Strong with Technology, and includes three modules for girls in grades 2 through 8. The current Beginner and Advanced Girl Power classes function as Module 1 for second- and third-graders, covering basic computer skills, web-building skills and technical vocabulary.
To bridge the technology education gap that currently exists between third grade and high school for our target population, two new modules have been designed for Girl Power 21st Century. Module 2 consists of a one-week Summer Technology Day Camp for fourth grade girls who have completed both classes in Module 1. This experience will provide more challenging technical and programming activities and will bridge into Module 3, Project Options, for girls in grades four through eight. The first phase of Project Options will be the development of an interactive website as a place for girls aged 8-14 to explore career options. In addition to the acquisition of technical skills related to web design, Project Options will provide girls with the opportunity to develop and enhance other skills, such as interviewing, online research, writing, filming, and digital photography. In the second phase of Project Options multiple cohorts of girls will maintain the website by creating new content and new formats, and updating old information. Older girls will become involved in mentoring younger girls and acting as mentors and teachers in the lab.
