Feel Good Friday - TechWomen

Last week, Autodesk hosted opening day for the TechWomen emerging leaders program. I had the opportunity to be a part of it and want to share the work of the organization and my experience in today's Feel Good Friday.

As explained on their website, "TechWomen empowers, connects and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East by providing them the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire women and girls in their communities." You can watch this video for a good overview of the program.

An initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the first program took place in 2001 with 37 women participating. This year's group includes 100 women from 20 different countries.

The women will participate in project-based mentorships at Bay Area companies, attend professional development workshops and networking events and wrap up the five-week program in Washington D.C. During their time in the Bay Area, they'll also have a cultural mentor who will take them to local attractions, cultural events and community service opportunities.

The women I met last Friday came from a variety of countries and worked in different STEM fields. When I asked one woman what she thought of her day at Autodesk, she said she felt "like Alice in Wonderland". I also met a woman from Kyrgyzstan who was shocked when I told her I had been to her country and was able to have a very short exchange with her in Krygyz.

All the women will return to their countries when the program is finished to share what they've learned and start projects of their own. You can click this interactive map to see how participants from previous years are affecting positive change in their communities.

If you like what TechWomen is doing, there are many ways to get involved. You can become a mentor, convince your company to host an event or show your support by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @TechWomen.

Feel Good Friday - Black Girls Code

I was inspired to write about today's Feel Good Friday group, Black Girls Code, for two reasons. First, Thursday night my company hosted a Girl Geek dinner to promote networking among women in the tech industry and second, it's Black History Month and this is an organization that combines both of those elements.

Black Girls Code (BCG) was founded by Kimberly Bryant in 2011. As stated on their website, the vision is "to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology."

BCG does this by running community outreach programs including weekend coding workshops, after school programs and hackathons that teach girls basic programming skills. As of this 2016 CNBC news report, there are chapters in 10 cities across the US and one in Johannesburg, South Africa, and over 5,000 girls have participated in the programs.

You can meet Kimberly and some of the girls in this 2-minute overview video. My favorite quote is "teaching kids of all ages, of all color, of all gender to code and to be able to become the programmers and not the programmed is critically important for our next generation."

To help diversify the tech industry and empower the next generation of programmers you can make a donation to BCG, volunteer your time, wear a shirt to represent, like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @BlackGirlsCode. That's the best way to find out when the next hackathon is coming to a city near you!

Feel Good Friday - Hip Hop Architecture Camp

Can hip hop music and culture inspire kids to become architects and designers? Of course it can - it's Feel Good Friday!

I learned about Hip Hop Architecture Camp when the creator Michael Ford came to Autodesk to give a presentation. [Disclosure time: Autodesk has been working with him to launch camps around cities in the US this past summer. That's what he came to talk about and that's why all the kids are wearing matching Tinkercad shirts in their videos.]

You can watch Michael's TedX talk to hear him explain Hip Hop Architecture or read this description from the website: "Hip Hop Architecture explores the intersection of Hip Hop culture and the built environment through three interconnected realms; media, professional practice, and academia. The goal of Hip Hop Architecture is to increase the number of underrepresented populations in the practice of architecture while simultaneously creating a new approach to architecture and design, one base on the Hip Hop's founding elements (DJ, Emcee, Graffiti and B-Boy/B-Girl). Hip Hop Architecture is a manifestation of the widely accepted fifth element of Hip Hop, Knowledge of Self."

The vision of Hip Hop Architecture Camp, is "to use hip hop culture as a catalyst to increase the number of underrepresented communities in S.T.E.A.M. fields." You're likely familiar with the science, technology, engineering and math portions of the acronym. The A stands for art and architecture.

These one week camps introduce kids to architecture and urban planning through the lens of hip hop culture. At the end of the week they not only create models of the communities they've designed, they also create a hip hop music video that summarizes their work and experience. You can get a great overview of the program by watching this 5:46 minute documentary encouraging kids to Build It Up. If you're curious to see the results from the camp you can watch a number of the camp mixtape videos and even download the songs here.

In 2017, camps took place in Los Angeles, Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Bronx, Oakland and Richmond. If you'd like to see a camp come to your city, get involved and host one! Hip Hop Architecture Camp is free to students and you can help keep it that way by making a donation. To stay in the loop and share the social media love, follow Michael Ford on Twitter @HipHopArch.

Feel Good Friday - Stemettes

Happy Feel Good Friday from London, home of Stemettes!

Based on their name, you won't be surprised to learn that "Stemettes is an award-winning social
enterprise working across the UK & Ireland and beyond to inspire and support young women into Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers (known collectively as STEM)."

Since 2013, over 14,000 girls have attended free events and workshops throughout the UK and Ireland. Events include "STEM in a Day" school trips to partner companies like Accenture and Salesforce, coding hackathons at companies like Oracle and Merrill Lynch, and panel discussions for girls to meet women and men in the industry. Check out the video from their 2016 panel event here to see what the girls had to say about it.

The mission of the Stemettes organization is "to inspire the next generation of females into STEM fields..." and the stories written by the young Stemettes on this blog prove they are well on their way.

You can financially support them with a purchase of a Stemette t-shirt or tote bag and morally support them by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Stemettes!

Feel Good Friday - NASA

If you haven't let election coverage stop you from following the news, you'll know that astronaut Scott Kelly has recently returned to Earth after a year on the International Space Station! That's the inspiration behind today's Feel Good Friday organization - NASA.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, more commonly known as NASA, has a simple vision: "We reach new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of mankind." I mean, it's a pretty simple sentence, though perhaps not so simple to reveal the unknown.

Established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, their first major milestone was sending men to walk on the moon in 1969. Now the Washington, DC based agency is aiming to send human missions to Mars. In addition to the space exploration NASA is known for, they also study climate change and work to improve air transportation right here on Earth.

Why I'm talking about them today is because of all the educational and inspirational information available on their website. The resources for educators are broken down by grade. There is a section for students which includes:

• a video explaining what you'll see in the March skies
• a Kids' Club page full of information and games (I'm thrilled to say I got a 95% score when loading my rocket for its mission to Mars)
• a section devoted to women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)

An additional Women@NASA site has a variety of outreach programs such as:

• a video series designed to empower young girls and interest them in STEM careers called  Aspire to Inspire (I only watched one video and am now kind of bummed I'm not an engineer)
• a program for middle school girls and boys to be mentored by NASA employees via Skype
• a five-day Summer Institute in Science, Engineering and Research (yes, that sure does spell SISTER) for the purpose of increasing awareness and providing opportunities for middle school girls to explore non-traditional career fields with research scientists, mathematicians and engineers 
• fact sheets, handouts and video introductions of 64 women working at NASA in all different areas of the organization 

NASA's vision is to benefit mankind and the information on their website and the programs they offer go a long way towards making that vision a reality. Once you've finished clicking on some (or all) of the links, make NASA a more permanent part of your life by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @NASA and @WomenNASA. Now go load a rocket for your Mars mission and let me know how well you do!