STEM Circuits at GIRLS (Girls Inspiring Respect, Leadership, and Service) Academy
161 views · Published 13 March 2018 · 0:44 · Indexed 6 November 2026
Channel: Caroline Dunn · 2018 · Howto & Style
GIRLS (Girls Inspiring Respect, Leadership, and Service) Academy is a day-and-a-half overnight retreat designed to foster leadership development and self-confidence for middle schools. This interactive program is tailored specifically to the needs of middle school students and includes large group presentations, small group discussions, personal journaling and reflection, and a community service project. Collegiate women from Emory University, trained and supervised by volunteer Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae, serve as role models and small group facilitators for the program. GIRLS Academy seeks to celebrate what makes us girls and challenges the stereotypes that tell us who or what to be. Our goal is to ignite the potential of young girls by providing them with the skills necessary to stand out in a world that tells them to blend in. One of the activities - and where I have asked for your help - is a series of leadership workshops that take place on Saturday evening after dinner. Topics include time management, goal setting, money matters, public speaking, and of course STEM. Each session will be 20 minutes and you'll work with three different groups who will rotate through (so each group will only visit 3 of the 5 topics). All materials will be provided for you. The event was held on March 3, 2018 at Louise Radloff Middle School 3939 Shackleford Rd, Duluth, GA. "Today we're going to experiment with being leaders in STEM. These activities may seem difficult, but they're supposed to get us thinking in new ways, challenging ourselves to think outside of the box and begin to understand how things fit together in order to make something work. These devices are called Electronic Snap Circuit Rovers. We're going to divide up in 3 groups and build our own snap circuits that will move, light up and make noise." Overview: In an activity involving small groups of girls working in teams to assemble snap circuits, the facilitator will highlight key competencies needed to be successful, and how those competencies relate to "STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The facilitator will then share how women are still grossly under-represented in most high skill, high wage, high demand STEM career fields outside of health and medical fields, and that there are tremendous opportunities for women in those career areas. Some key statistics will be provided, and encouragement given for participants to build their STEM toolbox. Introduction: "How many of you have heard of STEM? It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and it's of great importance in today's world. Why? Think about all of the technology we use every day. Now think about the science, the research and the discoveries that help us find cures for diseases and help us learn more about our planet. Engineering is important, too - we need it for all sorts of things to help us in our day to day life. And math is necessary for the little things - like counting change to pay for something at a store - and for the big things, like how big a space shuttle should be in order to successfully get astronauts into Outer Space. While sciences may not be your favorite thing, it's important to understand that they are so critical in our modern world. We use them, most of the time without even realizing it, every single day. Careers in STEM are critical for our country and the world, in terms of economic development and growth, in terms of innovation and responding to the complex issues of the 21st century, such as sustainability, renewable energy, protecting our planet and environment for generations to come, and improving people's lives. In addition, STEM careers lead to family sustaining wages! Women in STEM earn 33% more than women in non-STEM, and people with STEM degrees tend to be in higher demand even in non-STEM careers! Despite the need for women's help in STEM and the benefits that come with it, you know that women are still grossly under-represented in most high tech, high skill, high demand, and high growth STEM jobs outside of health and medical fields? What types of jobs do you think those are?"
