Science Club for Girls
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : m***i@s*****************s.o*g
Mission Statement
Science Club for Girls’ (SCFG) mission is to foster excitement, confidence, and literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for girls from underrepresented communities by providing free, experiential programs and by maximizing meaningful interactions with women mentors. SCFG reduces barriers to access, improves girls' attitudes toward STEM, increases academic confidence, and bolsters resilience through programs that support girls’ social and emotional development.
About This Cause
Science Club for Girls (SCFG) was founded in 1994 by two mothers concerned about gender, racial, and socioeconomic equity in STEM education. Over the past 27 years SCFG has become a leader in experiential STEM learning, girls programming and mentoring, and a trusted school and community partner. SCFG offers hands-on, mentor-led, high-quality, and 100% free programs for girls in grade K-12 in the Greater Boston area. We serve girls who are underrepresented in STEM in higher education disciplines and careers by income, race, and by being first generation college-bound. Volunteer mentors, who are either undergraduate or graduate students in STEM disciplines or professionals working in STEM fields, lead the programs; in 2021, over 65% of our 75 mentors come from our prioritized communities which is especially striking given that only 4% of U.S. scientists and engineers are Black and Hispanic women. By connecting mentors not only to girls but to each other, SCFG helps to increase the participation, retention, and advancement of women in STEM by bringing them together in a supportive community. SCFG’s programs are designed as clubs to reinforce concepts of collaboration and teamwork. To build both skills and confidence, curriculum and club structure are designed to foster inquiry: activities are hands-on, rather than lecture, with opportunities to experiment, to fail in safe and supportive settings, and to be resourceful and persistent. Programs are organized by grade: 1. Science Clubs: Hands-on explorations for girls in grades K-5 led by volunteer mentor scientists and Junior Mentors in weekly afterschool and Saturday settings; 2. STEMinistas: Inquiry and project-based team learning for grades 6-8, centered on concepts of engineering and the design process; 3. Junior Mentors: Leadership development and employment program for grades 8-12 who also serve as near peer mentors and co-teach with adult mentors in the younger clubs; 4. Week in Review: A digital literacy program for teens in which girls deepen their STEM learning and gain public speaking and presentation skills; and 5. SCFGLive: A weekly live science show with hands-on experiments in all STEM fields for grades K-5, broadcasted in collaboration with 6 media partners and recorded for viewing at any time. SCFGLive has, to date, garnered over 60,000 views. SCFG’s approach is unique in that we don’t focus on “one-off” experiences. We build relationships with girls and young women for the long haul, fortifying their resilience, their emotional and social well-being, and their engagement with STEM. Because of our continuum of programming and strong relationships, girls stay with our program for years – 4, 6, 8 and even the whole 13 years (K-12) are the norm. Over the last five years, 85-95% of participants report that they like to do and are curious about STEM, think they are good at solving problems, believe they can do well in STEM at school, and are interested in pursuing a job in STEM. Furthermore, over the last 12 years, over 90% of our high school juniors and seniors have gone to college (compared to the national average of 66%), with over 55% majoring in STEM—and many work in STEM fields after graduation. The need for SCFG is made clear by these multifold and interconnected issues: 1) The lack of racial, gender, and economic diversity of the STEM workforce: women currently represent 47% of the total U.S. workforce but only 24% of the STEM workforce. Racial disparities are even starker: Black and Latina women comprise only 4% of working scientists and engineers. Because of these inequities, significant talent and perspective is missing from the efforts to advance virtually every facet of our society; 2) The lack of availability of trained workers to fill STEM jobs; currently U.S. graduates in STEM fields fill only 13% of available STEM jobs; 3) The need for more readily available pathways out of poverty and into meaningful jobs that pay a livable wage; entry-level STEM jobs pay 20-50% more than other entry-level jobs; 4) The persistent achievement gap between well-resourced and economically disadvantaged children, as well as between Black and Latino students and their white and Asian peers; and 5) The unique and interconnected challenges facing low-income and racially marginalized populations of girls and young women. SCFG proactively addresses these systemic inequities, combating the many “off-ramps'' in girls’ trajectories to higher education and careers in STEM. In short, SCFG is shifting the narrative both for girls and for our culture as a whole—expanding horizons, defying stereotypes, breaking down barriers, and reengineering not only the future of the STEM workforce but also the trajectory of thousands of girls’ lives.