"Gadget Camp" Takes In Girls, Turns Out Budding Engineers

[vansau]

"Gadget Camp" Takes In Girls, Turns Out Budding Engineers

A new summer camp is training young women to be engineers and skilled laborers via hands-on science.

Most of the time, summer camps for kids aren't the deepest of affairs. They're usually based around getting kids to spend time outdoors and socialize with others in their age groups. However, a summer camp near Chicago is doing something that's not only geeky but good for society: It's helping girls get interested in engineering and manufacturing.

"Gadget Camp" is a sixteen-girl camp that's run by Antigone Sharris, an "instructor in electronics, welding and computer-aided machinery at Triton College." The goal of the camp - which works with girls who are mostly from low-income families - is to help teach the girls how to become skilled laborers because there's still a high demand for such positions (even though the economy is still flatlining).

According to Sharris, a camp that teaches these skills is necessary because, "Not letting your children learn the hands-on component of the theory of science is killing us as a nation. You have to stop giving kids books and start giving them tools."

Sharris has apparently been pretty happy with the camp and its results: "There's no limit to what they can do. The only thing that does limit them is their thinking that they can't."

The fields of engineering and manufacturing are pretty light when it comes to women workers: It's estimated that only a quarter of the workforce are females. If Gadget Camp is able to help these young ladies get a leg up on future careers, then it sounds like a good cause to me.

Source: <a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/business/a-summer-camp-to-draw-girls-into-manufacturing-careers.html?_r=3>NY Times

<a href=http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php>Image Source

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[bakan]

Hmm...I guess it is good for the girls, but there are already science camps why not advertise them a bit more (/change their focus) and let boys and girls have fun together?

 

[Yopaz]

What I wonder about when it comes to this. If they are from low income families that most likely can't afford sending their kids to college anyway what will a interest in engineering give them? A hobby while they work in a dead end job? I do think this is a good idea however. Engineers are needed.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Hmm...I guess it is good for the girls, but there are already science camps why not advertise them a bit more (/change their focus) and let boys and girls have fun together?

Because science, engineering and related fields are traditionally male areas of interest and work. Girl to a much larger extent than boys are told by society that they can't (whatever it is because of biological or social reasons) work in these fields or are actively discouraged because they are seen as "men only" jobs. Letting these girls go at it in a girls-only enviroment lets them try it out without the interference of socially created gender roles and is thus more likely to enthuse them (if they like these things) to later get an education and a career in these fields.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Letting these girls go at it in a girls-only enviroment lets them try it out without the interference of socially created gender roles and is thus more likely to enthuse them (if they like these things) to later get an education and a career in these fields.

*sad face* But I would've loved to go on a camp like this when I was a kid. That sort of hands-on experience isn't really available for boys either.

 

[bakan]

Hmm...I guess it is good for the girls, but there are already science camps why not advertise them a bit more (/change their focus) and let boys and girls have fun together?

Because science, engineering and related fields are traditionally male areas of interest and work. Girl to a much larger extent than boys are told by society that they can't (whatever it is because of biological or social reasons) work in these fields or are actively discouraged because they are seen as "men only" jobs. Letting these girls go at it in a girls-only enviroment lets them try it out without the interference of socially created gender roles and is thus more likely to enthuse them (if they like these things) to later get an education and a career in these fields.

You know, this attitude is why you have a lot of girls-only activities nowadays.
In my opinion schools have to begin with equally teaching boys and girls in every aspect and my school did this - though with some exceptions.
We had activities for nearly everything together as long as the interest was there and the teacher was able to motivate enough people.
So in the end these gender-only activities aren't any good as they favor a specific group and will lead to envy and separation.

 

[gabe12301]

And yet when a boys only (insert skill here) camp is opened the women's rights activists block the parking. *sigh*

 

[Forbearance]

And yet when a boys only (insert skill here) camp is opened the women's rights activists block the parking. *sigh*

Eyyyep.

Honestly, the argument that "CUZ GERLZ R ALWAYZ TOLD TEHY KARNT DO X" is so outdated! Who does that anymore? It's not the 60s for the love of Celestia!

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Hmm...I guess it is good for the girls, but there are already science camps why not advertise them a bit more (/change their focus) and let boys and girls have fun together?

Because science, engineering and related fields are traditionally male areas of interest and work. Girl to a much larger extent than boys are told by society that they can't (whatever it is because of biological or social reasons) work in these fields or are actively discouraged because they are seen as "men only" jobs. Letting these girls go at it in a girls-only enviroment lets them try it out without the interference of socially created gender roles and is thus more likely to enthuse them (if they like these things) to later get an education and a career in these fields.

You know, this attitude is why you have a lot of girls-only activities nowadays.
In my opinion schools have to begin with equally teaching boys and girls in every aspect and my school did this - though with some exceptions.
We had activities for nearly everything together as long as the interest was there and the teacher was able to motivate enough people.
So in the end these gender-only activities aren't any good as they favor a specific group and will lead to envy and separation.

The problem runs deeper than that, it has to do with social expectations, gender roles and peer pressure. But I think that falls a bit outside of this topic. Look up my posts in the R&P sectio on the wage gap to see a more in depth explanation of these problems.

 

[Forbearance]

Hmm...I guess it is good for the girls, but there are already science camps why not advertise them a bit more (/change their focus) and let boys and girls have fun together?

Because science, engineering and related fields are traditionally male areas of interest and work. Girl to a much larger extent than boys are told by society that they can't (whatever it is because of biological or social reasons) work in these fields or are actively discouraged because they are seen as "men only" jobs. Letting these girls go at it in a girls-only enviroment lets them try it out without the interference of socially created gender roles and is thus more likely to enthuse them (if they like these things) to later get an education and a career in these fields.

You know, this attitude is why you have a lot of girls-only activities nowadays.
In my opinion schools have to begin with equally teaching boys and girls in every aspect and my school did this - though with some exceptions.
We had activities for nearly everything together as long as the interest was there and the teacher was able to motivate enough people.
So in the end these gender-only activities aren't any good as they favor a specific group and will lead to envy and separation.

The problem runs deeper than that, it has to do with social expectations, gender roles and peer pressure. But I think that falls a bit outside of this topic. Look up my posts in the R&P sectio on the wage gap to see a more in depth explanation of these problems.

In America maybe, but I honestly have never, ever seen anything like that in Australia, ever.

Or maybe I'm not exposed to it, but none of my female friends seem to complain (Or maybe that's how society has made them think. OoooOOOooohh!)

The camp itself is sexist, but you'll be called a chauvinist pig if you call them out on it, you can't win, so just ignore it until society either rights itself or the nukes fall.

 

[Hagi]

You know, this attitude is why you have a lot of girls-only activities nowadays.
In my opinion schools have to begin with equally teaching boys and girls in every aspect and my school did this - though with some exceptions.
We had activities for nearly everything together as long as the interest was there and the teacher was able to motivate enough people.
So in the end these gender-only activities aren't any good as they favor a specific group and will lead to envy and separation.

Because gender roles exist.

I'm well aware that for the most part they shouldn't. That they're a bad thing and shouldn't be encouraged. But reality is that they do exist, and we have to live with that.

In a single-sex environment it's much easier to let go of useless gender roles then it is in a normal environment as in a single-sex environment everyone is letting go of their gender roles while in a normal environment it's just, in this case, the girls while the boys are doing exactly what their gender role says, engineering.

This will just demotivate all the girls as they don't want to appear the weird ones not filling their gender role while the boys are acting normal, and yes these gender roles do exist among children. I'm sure you noticed at your school as well that in certain activities there was much less motivation from either boys or girls to enthusiastically participate in a that activity.

Of course you could hold a summer camp in which the girls are all doing engineering activities while the boys are all doing fashion design, that would work. But it's not really a very effective way of holding a summer camp.

 

[mysecondlife]

shame.. I would have loved the camp if there was one 15 years ago.

oh well. at least the world could use less and less psychology majors and more engineers.

 

[RA92]

shame.. I would have loved the camp if there was one 15 years ago.

oh well. at least the world could use less and less psychology majors and more engineers.

Well, we need the shrinks to keep the engineers in check.



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WHY? WHY? WHY?

 

[Hagi]

In America maybe, but I honestly have never, ever seen anything like that in Australia, ever.

Or maybe I'm not exposed to it, but none of my female friends seem to complain (Or maybe that's how society has made them think. OoooOOOooohh!)

The camp itself is sexist, but you'll be called a chauvinist pig if you call them out on it, you can't win, so just ignore it until society either rights itself or the nukes fall.

If you're from a middle or higher class family that's generally well educated then likely you're not exposed to it.

The whole 60s thing did a great job for educated, western, middle and higher class people. But it's effects weren't nearly as pronounced in the rest of the world's society. It's less, and it's certainly much less outspoken. But in the target group for this camp, lower class girls, it still very much exists.

Both boys and girls still have a lot of gender roles, social expectations and peer pressure among lower classes, immigrants and many third-world countries. And there's still more then a few countries in which the whole "women are the weaker sex, to be ruled by men" is very much alive.

 

[somonels]

... I would have really liked going to an engineering camp

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I'll get angry if I write much, but a engineering camp "just for boys" would get slaughtered in the press.

So we build a camp that helps to reinforce the idea of a "female engineer", putting one group of people above another.

Remind me - all you white knights - among Chicago low-privileged young people, does the idea that "women are the weaker sex, to be ruled by men" hold true? Is it not that both genders are desperately fighting for work to get free of the poverty, drugs and degradation in a first world country?

If we're aiming for equality, why are the amount of male-only professions/meeting places being wiped out, while the female-only professions/meeting places already above the male-only, and are increasing?

Not to mention that one of the first things the girls are going to need knowledge of is other boys, so they can form a working relationship.

By delineating the genders constantly, all you're doing is widening the gap.

Take an idea like this, make it countrywide, get Ford or someone to sponsor it and give it to ALL the people. Not just the unprivileged few.

Judging the third world is for the third world to do. Not us.

 

[Ariseishirou]

Everyone in this thread wringing their hands about how the evol feminists (!!111) would shut this camp down if it was boys only must live in an alternate dimension, because in this one there are literally thousands of boys-only skills camps in North America alone, be they for sports skills, trades, or wilderness survival. There's absolutely nothing stopping them from making a boys-only engineering camp whatsoever; the Boy Engineering Scouts camp to this Girls'.

Well, except for the fact that it isn't needed in the same way. Girls in our society aren't encourage to be scientists and engineers as much as boys are - there have been a number of studies that proved this. Comparing this camp to one for boys is simply not apples to apples, it's apples and oranges (though again, there's absolutely nothing stopping anyone from making an all-boys camp legally or otherwise, teh evol feminists !!!11 do not rain on the parades of the literally thousands of extant boys-only camps today - if you want a boys-only engineering camp, you have but to make one, though of course it is easier to sit around and le sigh about how the world is against you because people on the internet say so).

But you know what would be apples to apples? A nursing camp for boys. Or an early education camp for boys. Male nurses and elementary school teachers are in high demand, yet socially discouraged from these careers. That would definitely be a worthwhile effort.

 

[Hagi]

I'll get angry if I write much, but a engineering camp "just for boys" would get slaughtered in the press.

So we build a camp that helps to reinforce the idea of a "female engineer", putting one group of people above another.

Remind me - all you white knights - among Chicago low-privileged young people, does the idea that "women are the weaker sex, to be ruled by men" hold true? Is it not that both genders are desperately fighting for work to get free of the poverty, drugs and degradation in a first world country?

If we're aiming for equality, why are the amount of male-only professions/meeting places being wiped out, while the female-only professions/meeting places already above the male-only, and are increasing?

Not to mention that one of the first things the girls are going to need knowledge of is other boys, so they can form a working relationship.

By delineating the genders constantly, all you're doing is widening the gap.

Take an idea like this, make it countrywide, get Ford or someone to sponsor it and give it to ALL the people. Not just the unprivileged few.

Judging the third world is for the third world to do. Not us.

Because a "just for boys" camp would get slaughtered in the press we have to go out and slaughter a "just for girls" camp? Yeah... that makes sense....

And why do anything about eliminating male-only professions while there's an increase in female-only professions? We should be increasing male-only profession! That'll get us equality! Every bad thing that happens to our gender we'll just return full-force!

Why go for equality through mutual respect when it can also be achieved through mutual disrespect? Who cares about equal rights and opportunities? We demand equal discrimination and limitations!

And a single week of camp is totally going to make sure all those girls will never learn how to form working relationships with boys! Can you believe that? A single week without any males around!? Preposterous! I suggest we surgically attach every single girl to a boy of equal age, that'll make sure there's proper communication between the genders right quick and bring us equality before you can even say "What is this? I don't even...". [/sarcasm]

And reading comprehension much?

And there's still more then a few countries in which the whole "women are the weaker sex, to be ruled by men" is very much alive.

Does that sound like I'm talking about first world countries?

 

[Annoying Turd]

This is a really great idea. I would love working alongside young women.