@gwagner man I wish my 12 year old would even allow me to sign her up for a STEM camp...😔
This is the age that the great separation happens where STEM becomes a boys subject and it's absolutely 💔💔💔 to watch...
Take a look at https://www.compoundchem.com/ there are a good few info graphics on Women in Science, which may provide an inspiration.
@zleap @gwagner yesterday I suggested she get a friend over to play computer games and was told "Nobody does that. Only boys".
They are far more aware of so-called "gender norms" than I think even we were growing up in the 1980s + 90s and I have no idea why or where it comes from. But I absolutely hate it
I think within success there are going to be negative things too, how to better engage girls in STEM is currently a huge problem for many. It is important to get problems out in to discussion so we can figure out solutions.
Hour of code (code.org) has lots of activities. The beginner activities are themed on Minecraft, frozen and star wars (may be more by now), which given that Minecraft is played by both girls and boys it is a great activity to get people engaged and started, plus there are videos to explain the activity.
I have started to ask what new attendees are interested in so if they like Minecraft etc they can be put on those, it starts them off with something they have an interest in.
And the harder you try and push (well encourage them) the more resistant they become.
I am at a loss as to what to suggest here too, I find it difficult to even reach out to people, I just run the groups, the library deal with publicity.
On Saturday Paignton library has a family fun festival, so I am going to run an activity around a sand box, stones and making craters. Simple yes, but it will be good to try and engage with people, so after that will be good to see if there is an increased engagement in the other groups I run.
