Roberto Torres, Lead Philly Reporter for Technical.ly Philly, talks about the TechGirlz Teen Advisory Board (TAB) featuring alumnae of the program. The TAB members had the opportunity to share their TechGirlz experiences and how the involvement with the organization has shaped their futures in tech, in hopes that other girls will continue to pursue their interests in tech, too. The full article was originally published June 18, 2018 on Technical.ly Philly.

Curbing the drop-off in STEM interest among young women has to start by listening to them.

It’s why TechGirlz — the Philly-based nonprofit that connects middle school–aged girls with tech skills — has a Teen Advisory Board comprised of actual young girls who have been through the program.

On Monday (June 18th), at Chariot Solutions HQ in Montgomery County, members of the advisory board and other TechGirlz alumnae will share insight on how TechGirlz workshops have helped shape their future plans.

The goal of the event, founder Tracey Welson-Rossman says, is for parents to get a primer on how to sustain initial interest in STEM throughout the years, and how to best equip girls for the long haul.

“When we talk about keeping girls in tech, we forgot the role parents can play,” the founder said. “This panel is showing how our alums stayed interested after they were with our program. It will give parents a first hand understanding of some of the obstacles the girls face and how they can be instrumental in keeping the enthusiasm for the girls to move forward in learning technology.”

Couldn’t make it to the event? Check out our FB Live video from the ‘Keeping Your Teen Girls Interested in Tech’ panel discussion.