The Silicon Valley teems with activities and camps for kids to get interested in science, technology and general innovation – help bridge the gap between girls and STEM by involving them at a young age!
By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)
Forget about pricey iD Tech Camps for kids to learn programming video games and robots. There are local non-profit organizations offering free and low-cost ways to involve children and teens with science and technology in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Techbridge provides this handy guide to 2013 Bay Area summer camps for girls interested in STEM. ActivityHero publishes a guide map to San Francisco science/tech activities for kids – don’t forget to check out offerings in the Berkeley and Oakland area.
Summer activities for girls interested in STEM include:
Eureka! – Teen Achievement Program for Girls (Seventh Grade)
Application Deadline: Friday, April 13, 2013
Duration: July 8, 2013 – August 2, 2013
Location: San Francisco Bay Area (California)
Cost: FREE
Program operated by: Girls Inc – Alameda
Girls Who Code – Summer Immersion Program
Application Deadline: Monday, April 15, 2013
Locations: San Jose (June 17, 2013 – August 9, 2013), San Francisco & Davis (June 24, 2013 – August 16, 2013), New York City & Detroit (July 8, 2013 – August 30, 2013)
Cost: FREE
Program operated by: Girls Who Code
Curosity in the Woods – Summer Camp for Girls (3 Years and Older)
Location: San Mateo County (California)
Duration: July 8, 2013 – August 2, 2013 (available for 1-2 week stints)
Cost: $300/week
Program operated by: Iridescent Learning
Summer Science and Engineering Program for Girls (High Schoolers)
Duration: June 30, 2013 – July 27, 2013
Location: Smith College (Massachusetts)
Cost: $35 application fee. $ 5,000 program fee. Partial-to-full financial aid available.
Program operated by: Smith College
Technology and LEGO Summer Camps (Coed, Ages 5-14)
Duration: Various dates through Summer 2013
Location: San Francisco Bay Area (California)
Cost: $355/week
Program operated by: TechKnowHow
There are plenty of one-off events to support girls and their growing interests in creating, building, leading and more!
Women 2.0 readers: Let us know in the comments what summer activities you have planned for increasing girls participation in STEM!
Angie Chang is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Women 2.0, a media company offering content, community and conferences for aspiring and current women innovators in technology. Our mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups with inspiration, information and education through our platform. Previously, Angie held roles in product management and web UI design. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter at @thisgirlangie.
