Wisconsin Girls Collaborative Project Promising Practices and Lessons Learned…

In 2006, WGCP Mini-grants funded 19 projects  Round One  Women Soar  What Girls Can Do  Wet & Wild  SYSSTAS in Science & Technology  STEPS Camp  Southdale Goes Biotrekking  Girls and Science Careers  GEMS Club  Engineering for Young Women  CSI: Chinook  Round Two  Critter Care  Driving with Education  Pathways to Satisfaction  Math & Science Careers for Girls  STEM Little Sister Recruiting Initiative  Summer Science and Math Academy  STEM Workshop for Middle School Girls  Pre College Camps  Expanding Young Girls Interest in Technology

Lessons Learned…  Mentoring  Experiential learning  STEM career perceptions  Importance of 21st century skills  Fostering persistence

Mentoring  A focus on positive relationships and career development  Offer Peer and near-peer mentoring, families, exposure to women STEM professionals  Use local/community resources  Local high school students, undergraduate students, teacher groups, and local chapters of professional societies  Local corporations with a strong community presence  Corporations having women’s initiatives

Over four years the Project has educated over 200 members of the greater Seymour – Oneida community about the quality of their water. Shawano county is not in the arsenic advisory area. Why not? Demands for contaminant free water will be of real concern across the globe in the future.

2007 Toyota Tapestry Awardee $10,000 total grant awarded to only 50 projects across the United States We are the only recipients in Wisconsin – only one of 3 in the Midwest

Experiential Learning  Contextual STEM experiences that connect the subject matter to the real world  Embedding STEM concepts into meaningful cultural and human contexts  Project-based learning and scientific inquiry  Linking formal and informal learning strategies

Students worked with an elder to learn more about medicinal uses of raspberries.

Positive Perceptions of STEM Careers  Making a difference  Impact on society: the environment, helping others, etc.  Shift focus from the stereotype of the “solitary” occupations  Combating the “geek” factor

Oneida Living in Balance seeks to integrate natural foods into the school menus.

A look towards 21 st Century Skills  Not just about academics  Variety of skills needed in the workplace  Quality STEM content + technical skill + exposure to 21st century skills including :  Critical thinking and problem solving  Communication, collaboration and social skills  Creativity  Flexibility and adaptability  Leadership

CSI: Chinook  Program Partners:  Girl Scouts – Great Blue Heron Council  Immigration & Customs Enforcement – Office of Homeland Security  Waukesha County Medical Examiner’s Office  Program Goals:  Increase girls confidence  Inspire girls to explore challenging STEM-related careers  Engage girls in hands-on technology-related activities that will increase their skills and empower them with knowledge of STEM fields

Fostering Persistence  Developing an overall sense of self-efficacy  Parental buy-in  Appreciation of girls’ individual identities  Dispel myths and gender stereotypes about their capabilities  Maintaining open communication about all these issues

Resources  Mentoring-in-a-Box: Technical Women at Work Toolkit from NCWIT and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology  TechBridge Role Model Toolkit  Sample Curriculum Units  Biography Project  Career Voyages  Great Science for Girls  Five Myths about Girls and Science (NSF)