The Bridge: Connecting Girls to STEM
As we come into this new year, we invite you to join us on a new journey. The Bridge is Techbridge Girls’ brand-new newsletter. It’s a space for connecting, a space where we’ll share our work with you, share the successes of our community members, and share news, ideas, and resources for connecting girls to STEM.
Of course, the bridge is also a powerful image of connection. How do we navigate what divides us? We build a bridge.
From the Bridge
This January, as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, we’re thinking of another bridge: the John Lewis Bridge in Selma, Alabama. From our present moment, we have the chance to look back on where we’ve been: on the long history of non-violent resistance, like the march from Selma to Birmingham to demand voting rights for African Americans, and on the violence that necessitates that resistance. Sometimes that violence is physical, like the billy clubs and tear gas used against the Selma marchers, or a gun, or a boot on the neck. Sometimes it’s structural, like law that prevents some groups of people from voting or marrying. And sometimes it’s invisible, like educational or economic opportunities that just don’t exist in a particular community.
In a 1957 sermon, King laid out an argument for nonviolent protest, ending with this call: “As we look out across the years and across the generations…we must discover the power, the redemptive power of love. And when we discover that we will be able to make of this old world a new world.”
70 years later, we are a little closer to the world that King dreamed of. Every classroom where Black girls share science experiments and laughter is a step toward this new world. Every chat where educators grow and learn together is a step toward this new world. Every moment of validation when a child sees a teacher that looks like them is a step nearer to the world we envision.
As we go into 2025, Techbridge Girls remains committed to creating spaces of belonging for girls in STEM. We’re glad you’re with us on this journey.
Bridge Building
Join our programs:
Ready to spend the spring with a community of committed, curious, collaborative educators like yourself? Apply to join our SELC (STEM Equity Learning Community), a virtual exploration of best practices in out-of-school time. You do not need to be hosting a Techbridge Girls Program to join us!
Techbridge Girls recruits educators, out-of-school-time (OST) supervisors and administrators that serve programs to Black, Latina and Indigenous girls to
- explore how to use asset-based frameworks and practices to combat inequities in OST STEM
- Deconstruct identity and bias, equipping participants to engage staff in the reflection and action required to facilitate equitable STEM programming
- Develop STEM equity action steps for their OST program
- And so much more!
Find our upcoming schedule and topics, along with a “What to Expect” video, here: STEM Equity Learning Community. The application deadline is Feb 18, 2025.
Pathways
It’s National Mentoring Month!
Are you role model material? If you’re a scientist, teacher, or care provider and you want to be a positive influence in a girl’s life, we want you! (You can even earn a badge!). Be the change you want to see in the world. Take our free Role Models Matter(™) course this month and start your mentoring journey. And on our social media, we’ll be asking you to tell us about your most important Role Model, so log in and share! #rolemodelsmatter
Intersections
Techbridge is coming to your community! Find our thought leadership in action here:
February 5th
California Afterschool Network 2025 Site Coordinator Symposium
Location: Virtual
Featuring: Nashira Williams, Techbridge Girls Senior Manager of Programs, presenting “Why Role Models Matter in STEM”. Register here: 2025 Site Coordinator Symposium – AfterSchool Network
February 8th
California STEAM Symposium
Location: San Diego, CA
Featuring: Caitlin Davis, Techbridge Girls Senior Manager of Educator Training and Support, presenting “Building toward Belonging: Black, Indigenous, and Latina Girls in STEM”. Register here: Summary – California STEAM Symposium 2025
February 13th
The Hollywood Summit: Advancing Women in Tech (organized by Nokia Bell Labs and Geena Davis Institute at The Ebell of Los Angeles)
Location: Los Angeles, California
Featuring: Savita Raj, CEO of Techbridge Girls, presenting “Building a Better Tech Future: A conversation with Hollywood”. Join us for a dynamic summit where Hollywood meets Tech to bridge the gender gap. Discover how authentic portrayals of women in Tech can inspire change!
February 20th
Science For All Summit
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Featuring: Jennifer Stancil, Techbridge Girls Director of Development, presenting “STEM, Girls, and the Influence of Digital Communities”.
The View
What we’re reading, using, and finding inspirational here at Techbridge Girls:
- MLK Day teaching materials from the King Foundation
- Podcast: Boston pastors reflect on MLK’s legacy, ‘radical love’ and striving for a better world
- Videos, Timelines, and Stories from the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum
- Interactive videos and curriculum on PBS Learning Media (Don’t miss the Freedom Riders)
Looking forward to spending 2025 together here, in person, and in community.
The Techbridge Girl Team