October 30, 2015 (Philadelphia) – TechGirlz, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls to become future technology leaders, received a starting grant from the Lenfest Foundation to help expand TechGirlz’ curricula and pilot new programs to equip more volunteers for the organization. The Lenfest Foundation awarded the grant to TechGirlz as part of its goal to assist more organizations in the Philadelphia area who are engaging youth in STEM careers.
“The Lenfest Foundation’s support has given us a tremendous opportunity to share the work we’ve been doing with new audiences across our region,” said Tracey Welson-Rossman, CEO and founder of TechGirlz. “We thank the foundation sincerely, and we can’t wait to start building upon our already successful programming by adding new instructors to the TechGirlz family.”
As part of its programming, TechGirlz provides workshops for young girls where they have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with technology, including mobile app development. Additionally, TechGirlz created its TechShopz in a Box program – an all-in-one kit that helps organizations, companies and individuals teach these workshops in their own communities. The Lenfest Foundation’s grant will be used to help TechGirlz find and train more instructors in the Philadelphia area to lead more TechShopz in a Box workshops.
To facilitate this expansion, TechGirlz’ community development manager, Sarah Johnson, will be leading the effort to engage new volunteer instructors. Johnson is also developing pilot programs designed to engage high school and college-aged individuals in becoming instructors.
The Lenfest Foundation’s grant-making focuses on improving the lives of children and youth by supporting three critical transitions: early learning, middle school out-of-school time programming, and career pathways. More information about the organization can be found on its website at: http://www.lenfestfoundation.org/
About TechGirlz
TechGirlz (www.TechGirlz.org) inspires young women to shatter the statistics. The organization’s aim is to help adolescent girls understand that a future in technology does not necessarily equate to “a boring computer job,” but instead transcends the cubicle into nearly every field imaginable. By encouraging women to participate in science and technology today, as well as providing a solid foundation of peers, mentors and positive role models, TechGirlz hopes to spark innovation, exhilaration and motivation in young women to become tomorrow’s tech leaders.
