{"id":12447,"date":"2017-07-17T13:07:58","date_gmt":"2017-07-17T20:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educatorinnovator.org\/?p=12447"},"modified":"2017-07-17T13:07:58","modified_gmt":"2017-07-17T20:07:58","slug":"six-ways-to-build-girl-inclusive-makerspaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educatorinnovator.org\/six-ways-to-build-girl-inclusive-makerspaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Ways to Build Girl-Inclusive Makerspaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nikole Collins-Puri, CEO of TechBridge Girls<\/a>, explores her organization’s mission and outlines six key strategies for building makerspaces that are girl-inclusive, particularly for girls of color and girls from low-income communities.<\/em><\/p>\n

For the past 17 years, Techbridge Girls has been working to break down barriers that often keep young women, particularly those of color from low-income communities, out of STEM careers and the maker movement. We work to craft a new narrative that centers this population and gives them space not just to engage with STEM and making, but to believe that they can transform the maker movement to reflect their experiences and interests. Techbridge Girls supports an ecosystem for girls from grades four through 12 to experience the full breadth of STEM education and works to ignite in them the courage to pursue a STEM degree and career.<\/p>\n

Our model is not rocket science, but it is intentional. As the Maker Movement continues to grow and expand we also need to be intentional about what voices and perspectives are represented. As educators and thought leaders, it is our responsibility to ensure that all voices and perspectives have an opportunity to come to the table, and have their voices heard. In order to support educators in their work to develop more equitable, inclusive maker education programs and practices, we are excited to share a set of 6 strategies we\u2019ve used at Techbridge to redefine making, and create new space and opportunities for girls.<\/p>\n

1. Put Girls at the Center<\/h4>\n

Our girls\u2019 voices, needs, and experiences are at the center of our program model at Techbridge Girls. Through our deep intervention and holistic approach we educate, empower, and expose our girls to resources that propel them toward a better future in careers that give them opportunities, economic mobility, and stability. Additionally, we\u2019ve found that our engagement rate increases the more we make STEM education relevant to where our girls are in their lives. If our girls are excited about lip balm, we teach them how to make lip balm through the lens of chemical engineering. The Techbridge Girls experience is all about hands-on learning, relevance, empowerment, and immersive career exploration.<\/p>\n

2. Redefine the Maker<\/h4>\n

We are redefining the maker every day through the work of our program. We teach our girls that a maker is more than someone interested in coding and technology. A maker does not need to resemble a white male in a hoodie and sneakers. A maker can be a curious, Oakland-born girl of color who tackles the challenge of designing a prosthetic hand for a special needs person or building a gumball machine.<\/p>\n

3. Connect Girls to Role Models and Mentors<\/h4>\n

Through Techbridge Girls afterschool programs in the Bay Area, Greater Seattle and Washington, D.C., we not only provide hands-on activities for our girls, we connect them with role models who function as champions and co-learners. Since women and people of color are significantly underrepresented in STEM fields, it\u2019s important that our girls have access to role models who can help them build their social capital and\/or come from similar ethnic and cultural backgrounds.<\/p>\n

4. Reframe Failure<\/h4>\n

Another important facet of our program is the idea of reframing failure. This can be especially difficult for young girls, who often focus more on perfection than on process. We teach our girls that the process of failing and the learning that comes from it is a critical and valuable skill that\u2019s necessary to be successful in this field. Techbridge Girls creates a safe space for our girls to take risks, share their knowledge and make \u201cglorious goofs\u201d with others<\/p>\n

5. Bring Making to the Community<\/h4>\n

Techbridge Girls also works to include families to continue to inspire and ignite our girls. We\u2019ve found that it can be especially empowering for our girls to share their STEM expertise with their community. We\u2019ve seen this time and time again at our participation in Bay Area Maker Faire and similar types of events, where our girls share what they\u2019ve learned through our yearlong programs. Throughout the year, we encourage families to join in on science, engineering and technology activities with their girls and bring what they learn into the household.<\/p>\n

6. Elevate Girls Into Leadership Positions<\/h4>\n

At Techbridge Girls, we empower our girls so they understand that they belong, they can thrive, and that they can lead and change the face of this movement. A strong public presence is key to building leadership skills, so we create opportunities for our girls to have public speaking roles. At the recent Bay Area Maker Faire, three of our girls took the stage to share their experience in Techbridge Girls and articulated why programs like these are so crucial to building their confidence. Another way we hone leadership skills is by giving our girls the freedom to develop and design projects of their own choosing.<\/p>\n

It was a thrill to attend the Maker Educator Convening in May and to see the ways in which equity is becoming a priority for the maker educator community. This work must continue to be at the forefront of the maker movement because if the voices, needs, experiences, and perspectives of girls, especially girls of color from low-income communities, are not actively built into the maker movement\u2019s narrative, they will continue to be an afterthought and get left behind.<\/p>\n

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Here are some additional resources to explore if you\u2019d like to learn more about diversity & inclusion in maker education:<\/p>\n