
The Girls Who Game program supports girls in underserved communities by focusing on three pillars-promoting a girl-centric ecosystem to build confidence įoster interest in STEM and STEM-related fields through the authentic application and provide mentorship to build leadership at all levels.ĭruid Hills Middle School seventh-grader Aset Re, an avid gamer, said the camp has been eye-opening for her. Especially being on-site at Fernbank, they get direct contact with scientists, so it’s a more immersive experience.”Īccording to data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), women represented 45 percent of students majoring in STEM fields in 2020, up from 40 percent in 2010 and 34 percent in 1994. “This allows them to be exposed, in a number of different ways, to women in STEM and experts in their field. One of the things I feel strongly about is you can’t be what you can’t see,” Wright said. “The camp is important because historically and according to the research, girls are underrepresented in STEM. The girls also heard from women in STEM fields about their careers and their journeys, which is an integral component of the camp because it showcases the role of embracing equity in the technical sciences. “They’re learning from scientists and other experts about the content knowledge, and then they can take it and apply it to what they’re creating.” “They’re reimagining the space while actually sitting in the space,” said DCSD STEM Coordinator Andrea Wright. In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, procedurally generated 3D world with virtually infinite terrain and may discover and extract raw materials, craft tools, and items and build structures, earthworks, and simple machines. The summer camp-sponsored by Dell, Intel, and Microsoft-allows girls to learn through play, focusing on building global competencies and computational thinking using Minecraft: Education Edition.Īt this year’s camp, 45 girls are charged with reimagining Fernbank Science Center’s library in the video game Minecraft.

It’s all part of the Girls Who Game initiative that focuses on increasing young girls’ access to technology to prepare them for success in a digital world.

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In partnership with Fernbank Science Center, the District is hosting this free program for girls in grades six through eight. It’s called Girls Who Game, a summer camp specifically designed for girls to learn more about the opportunities in STEM education through gaming. With that as a motivating challenge, the DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has created an exciting, interactive path to doing something about it. It’s one of the worst kept secrets in science education: Female participation in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) generally- and computer coding specifically- is traditionally low.
