Rosie’s Girls TECH February Break Camp

 

By: Ada Case, VWW Youth Programs Coordinator

For the second year, Vermont Works for Women hosted Rosie’s Girls TECH Camp during February school break.

The week was full of engaging moments for every camper. One of our goals at VWW is to build opportunities for girls and gender expansive youth to envision themselves in careers they might not otherwise consider – careers that might be a little less obvious, ones where women are still underrepresented, or jobs they couldn’t even imagine existing. Rosie’s Girls TECH fulfilled that goal for each camper, and they went home knowing far more about the opportunities available to them in science, technology, engineering and math in Vermont. 

Below is an overview of how the week unfolded: 

Monday: Campers started the week learning about 3D printing design using Tinkercad, an online 3D modeling program. Many of them had prior experience using the program in school, so our staff enjoyed watching them use their knowledge and creativity. 

In the afternoon, engineer Deborah Siegel from the Vermont Idea Company joined us for a “Taking Things Apart” workshop. Campers selected from a variety of donated machinery and appliances to disassemble. Our workspace was soon littered with gear, screws, circuit boards, and all kinds of tools as campers got a peek into the inner workings of machines they use in their daily lives—video game controllers, toasters, CD and DVD players, computer mice, drills, and more! 

Tuesday: On the second day of camp, we took a field trip to Marvell. Campers played Railroad Ink to learn about the semiconductor design process, practiced writing and decoding binary code, and got creative programming with Scratch! Staff gave campers a tour of the lab to see and touch semiconductors and wafers, and to better understand how they are made and how they work. 

In the afternoon, we walked to Generator Makerspace and had the opportunity to tour their space. Campers saw their wood shop, metal shop, jewelry studio, electronics lab, and 3D printers. Everyone left feeling inspired by incredible art, design, and artisanship displayed throughout the space. 

Wednesday: We began the day with a visit from Shannah Weller, Ms. New England Petite and current Saint Michael’s College student. Shannah spoke with participants about her career and academic journey, from working in the aerospace industry to studying biology at SMC. 

We then took a field trip to visit the UVM FabLab. Campers learned how to solder a circuit board to light up LED lightbulbs, learned more about 3D printing and all the incredible designs UVM students have created, and used a Cricut machine to create vinyl stickers. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday: On Thursday morning, we were joined by four members of the UVM Society of Women Engineers. The students spoke with campers about different types of engineering and the associated career paths. They also shared advice about college and how to pick a major. Campers then paired up to compete in a challenge to engineer a tinfoil boat. The most successful boat was able to hold over 50 marbles without sinking! 

In the afternoon, the engineering theme was carried into a Rube Goldberg Machine design activity. Campers split into two groups and were challenged to design a Rube Goldberg Machine that accomplished a task of transporting a ball from a table into a cup. Each group put their collaboration, communication, engineering, and imagination skills to use, and both teams created successful machines. 

Friday: We wrapped up the week with a visit from Kendall Fortney, the Program Director of the UVM Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) group. Campers learned how to code Arduino single-board microcontrollers in multiple coding languages. 

In the afternoon, campers built their own “bristle bot” robots using toothbrushes, vibrating motors, and coin cell batteries. 

Throughout the week, we paired hands-on skills with fun games and our social-emotional learning Power Skills curriculum. Campers created a Team Pact, learned how to identify their comfort, challenge, and terror zones during Challenge By Choice, discussed body image and gender bias in the media during X-Ray vision, discussed their online habits during Owning My Digital Identity, and reflected on their own experiences and identity during We Stand Up. 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a sense of the immediate impact on campers: 

• 80% Agreed: Rosie’s Girls taught me I can do more than I thought I could 
• 70% Agreed: Because of Rosie’s Girls I have new ideas about what I can be when I grow up 
• 70% Agreed: Rosie’s Girls taught me that girls, women, and gender non-conforming folks can do more than I thought. 
• 70% of participants increased in at least one area of expanded possibility  
• 80% of participants increased in at least one core area (Confidence, Connection, Expanded Possibility) 
• 40% of participants increased their Resilience Score (Confidence + Connection) 

In response to the question “What did you learn at Rosie’s Girls?” campers reported: 

• I learned that there are women/girls who have come together to help women/girls become who they want to become. 
• I learned about coding, engineering, and more. I learned that I can have a lot of fun hanging out with people I didn’t know very well. 
• To be confident.  
• Soldering, some coding. I am better at things than I thought 
• I learned that as long as you follow your dreams, you can do anything 

 

A special thank you to Burlington Technical Center for opening your doors to Rosie’s Girls each day, to our Serve Learn Earn partner, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, for loaning us a van for the week, and to Marvell for being a wonderful employer partner!