about usTech-Girls was founded in 2012 by Kim Wilkens with a mission to empower girls to imagine and achieve their future dreams in our tech-savvy world. With the support of awesome volunteers and local organizations, Tech-Girls brings hands-on tech-related programming to girls throughout the region. In 2014, Charlottesville Women in Tech was formed to provide human connections and resources for local women in tech. Tech-Girls and Charlottesville Women in Tech have joined forces with the goal of supporting and helping women and girls begin their journey and stay in the technology pipeline.
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change the equation
Tech-Girls works with parents, educators and partners to provide training, resources and relationships needed to support and help the girls continue their journey and stay in the STEM pipeline. We follow principles outlined by Dr. Joanne Cohoon, UVa Professor of Science & Technology, for engaging girls in computing:
Spark interest
Girls don't just want to learn new tech skills in a fun and collaborative setting, they want to make a difference in the real world with their newly acquired skills.
"By age 13 girls determine a positive or negative attitude towards subjects like computer science." - Kim Wilkens, Tech-Girls founder
Build confidence
Role models and mentors have been identified as a major component to building confidence and keeping girls engaged in pursuing their interests in STEM.
"My girls loved yesterday's meet-up - I am thankful that someone like you exists in this community to teach and empower my girls!"- Stella, mom to 3rd and 5th grade Tech-Girls
Nurture inclusive community
Feeling a sense of belonging in a discipline is one of the primary components that impacts student interest.
“Sometimes girls are pushed out because they don’t feel like they belong, but sometimes they’re pulled into other areas, at a university setting for example, because they feel more belonging there, they feel more connected.” - Christopher Hulleman, Professor at the UVa Curry School of Education
Develop a tech identity
Girls need opportunities to develop their tech identity by creating technology and sharing with the community.
“Women aren’t well-represented in this field, so having a girls group is promoting girls to try new things.” - Zyahna, 7th grade Tech-Girl
“A lot of men are mostly into technology, and a lot of women are into fashion and shopping, so it helps to show that women can do the tech stuff too.” - Weedor, 7th grade Tech-Girl
Spark interest
Girls don't just want to learn new tech skills in a fun and collaborative setting, they want to make a difference in the real world with their newly acquired skills.
"By age 13 girls determine a positive or negative attitude towards subjects like computer science." - Kim Wilkens, Tech-Girls founder
Build confidence
Role models and mentors have been identified as a major component to building confidence and keeping girls engaged in pursuing their interests in STEM.
"My girls loved yesterday's meet-up - I am thankful that someone like you exists in this community to teach and empower my girls!"- Stella, mom to 3rd and 5th grade Tech-Girls
Nurture inclusive community
Feeling a sense of belonging in a discipline is one of the primary components that impacts student interest.
“Sometimes girls are pushed out because they don’t feel like they belong, but sometimes they’re pulled into other areas, at a university setting for example, because they feel more belonging there, they feel more connected.” - Christopher Hulleman, Professor at the UVa Curry School of Education
Develop a tech identity
Girls need opportunities to develop their tech identity by creating technology and sharing with the community.
“Women aren’t well-represented in this field, so having a girls group is promoting girls to try new things.” - Zyahna, 7th grade Tech-Girl
“A lot of men are mostly into technology, and a lot of women are into fashion and shopping, so it helps to show that women can do the tech stuff too.” - Weedor, 7th grade Tech-Girl
Why are we focused on girls?
There's no question that technology-based innovations like PCs, the world-wide web, social media and smart phones have fundamentally changed the way we work, communicate, govern, educate and so much more. Why is it then, that if technological advancement is so rapid and so integral to our society, the study in the field of computer science (CS) has not been keeping pace?
Tech-Girls is all about nurturing girls interest in STEM. We work with girls by providing hands-on activities that will engage their natural curiosity about technology fields. We work with parents, educators and partners to provide training, resources and relationships needed to support and help the girls continue their journey and stay in the pipeline.
We don't expect everyone will want to be a programmer when they grow up, we just want anyone to know they can. We want to convert technology users into technology creators, collaborators and activists!
- Through 2033, the number of jobs in computing and information technology is expected to grow much faster than the average of other occupations. 356,700 openings are predicted per year. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Women make up only 35% of the STEM workforce and 25% of bachelor's degree earners in computer sciences, math, and engineering (NSF STEM Workforce Report).
- We know there is untapped potential because 56% of middle school girls are interested in pursuing a career in STEM (Ruling Our Experiences 2024 Impact Report).
- The key to unlocking this potential is to start much earlier in the educational pipeline because research shows that by age 13 girls determine a positive or negative attitude toward subjects like computer science.
Tech-Girls is all about nurturing girls interest in STEM. We work with girls by providing hands-on activities that will engage their natural curiosity about technology fields. We work with parents, educators and partners to provide training, resources and relationships needed to support and help the girls continue their journey and stay in the pipeline.
We don't expect everyone will want to be a programmer when they grow up, we just want anyone to know they can. We want to convert technology users into technology creators, collaborators and activists!
