“Girls Click can begin to create a world where I and others like me can walk into their STEM classes and careers, and see equal amounts of men and women.”
Michal (LearnServe Fellow 2020, student at School Without Walls) sees motivation, talent, and untapped potential in young women mentoring their peers in STEM. She is determined to change the landscape that excludes women from STEM fields.
“Girls Click has three goals,” Michal shared when she launched the social venture in April. “To encourage young girls to pursue a career in the STEM field. To empower teen girls to become leaders in their community. And to integrate the STEM field with more women.”
You can watch Michal’s elevator pitch for an introduction to Girls Click.
We interviewed Michal about how her social venture has grown since April, her plans for the future of Girls Click, and why increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM is more important than ever before.
How has Girls Click grown since you launched in April?
Since April, I have created different positions for a Girls Click Executive Board for girls to apply to be a part of my team! I shared the application to different social media platforms, and fortunately, I got some amazing high school girls to apply. They are located in California, Georgia, New York, and Illinois, which is a great opportunity for me to spread the mission of Girls Click farther than just DC. So far, I have Directors of Partnerships and Outreach, Curriculum Development, Marketing, Sponsorships and Finance, Graphic Design, and Web Development. I have been spending most of my time creating weekly task lists for them and scheduling board meetings.
We also are in the process of designing our website and have recently come up with some great ideas for where exactly we want Girls Click to go, as Covid has stopped some of my original plans. Our goal for Girls Click is still to close the gender gap in STEM, but also now to build a community of STEMinists through female-lead initiatives.
We know that a lot of girls want to make an impact in STEM but don’t know where to start. Girls Click can be a pipeline for them to do so!
We are working on creating four different programs that girls can apply to start in their local area or be a part of: 1) EducatHER, a girls in STEM education program, 2) InnovatHER, a girls in STEM research program and competition, 3) NetworkHER, an opportunity for girls to empower women in STEM and provide networking resources for girls in their area, and 4) InspiratHER, a girls in STEM mentorship program between high school and middle school students.
What are your plans for Girls Click in the coming months?
In the coming months, I am hoping to do many things with Girls Click. I am hoping to successfully finish our website. I am hoping to expand the Girls Click team and open up applications again for girls to join our different departments. I am hoping to fully plan out our four initiatives, meaning to develop guides and full outlines of what they should look like. I am hoping to successfully market Girls Click and build our following on social media. I also want to begin the process of registering for 501(c)(3) status and maybe build partnerships with other organizations striving for the same thing as Girls Click.
Our solution at Girls Click has changed a lot throughout this time. Instead of being just a girls coding/STEM education program, Girls Click will have a variety of options for girls of all different STEM interests to get involved. I want my organization to be a way for girls to start and lead their own social ventures, which will create even more change! Hopefully we can begin accomplishing all of this as the start of the school year approaches.
How has the context of empowering women in STEM changed recently?
The pandemic has definitely affected the social challenges Girls Click is tackling. I initially wanted to teach girls different STEM subjects and skills at schools and recreation centers, but that has changed because of Covid. I am not sure about in-person events and what exactly they would look like right now, so Girls Click is going virtual. All of our initiatives will have the ability to be conducted online or virtually, and that is what we are working on building now.
Despite all of this change, I think the pandemic has definitely affected Girls Click positively in some ways. Virtual initiatives allow the organization to spread outside of just DC. I also don’t think I would have ever come up with any of the ideas I have now, such as our four programs, if I could still carry out my original plans.
So I am grateful in a way for this unprecedented time because it gave me extra space in my days to brainstorm extensively. Covid also brought about new online communities for girls in STEM, such as slack groups, that have been so helpful in meeting like-minded high school students to join the board of my organization and also get the word out about it!
I’m so excited about what’s to come for Girls Click.