Programs
Gender Equity
Many Clubhouses host gender equity programs that foster long-term mentoring relationships between women and girls and utilize technology as a positive tool for experimentation, self-expression, creativity and collaboration. Others host programs focused on boys and young men.
Over the years many Computer Clubhouses have introduced special girls-only time, often referred to as Hear Our Voices. In an effort to counter the patterns of math, science, and technology avoidance among girls and young women -- and their under-representation in these fields of study and work -- the Clubhouse Network received funding from the National Science Foundation in 2003-07 to fuel the development of girls-only programs in 20 U.S. Clubhouses. Others started with local community support, so that today around one-third of all Clubhouses world-wide offer girls-only programming of some kind.
The principal goals of Hear Our Voices are to:
- Foster long-term mentoring relationships between women and girls.
- Focus on developing positive character, life skills, and leadership traits in girls and young women.
- Utilize technology as a tool for experimentation, self-expression, creativity. and collaboration in a way that feels meaningful and relevant to girls
Examples of activities for girls in Hear Our Voices programs include:
- Creating Flash animation, 3-D animation, and robotics projects.
- Writing, filming, and editing original movies and video productions.
- Constructing science and engineering projects
- Participating in workshops and field trips that support girls' academic goals and career planning.
For additional information about Hear Our Voices, contact:
Brenda Abanavas, Program Manager, Intel Computer Clubhouse Network
617-589-0271 or babanavas@mos.org
See what some of our Clubhouses are doing with Hear Our Voices:
San Rafael Clubhouse
(San Rafael, CA)
Flagship Girls' Day Program
Computer Clubhouse Network
Museum of Science
(Boston, MA)
