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 - Biblioteca Los Mangos

Feliz Feel Good Friday! It's Cinco de Mayo so we're going to highlight an organization in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Biblioteca Los Mangos!

The website is written in Spanish but with the help of some online translation, here's what I can tell you. Biblioteca Los Mangos is a library and cultural center in Puerto Vallarta that has been offering free cultural courses and workshops for children, adolescents and adults since 1996

Their mission is to ensure that people in the community have access to high quality general-interest information and technologies so they may use them to learn, grow and develop. The vision is to promote the habit of reading as well as preserve cultural traditions within the community. Biblioteca Los Mangos has over 30,000 books in Spanish and English and offers 4,500 individual services per month.

Their spring cultural classes include ballet and folk dancing, singing, yoga, art history and manga drawing! They also have an ongoing program called APAPACHO. It's for parents with children 2-3 years old and focuses on nourishing their creative and mental development.

Last, there is a local market on Saturdays located in front of the library where you can buy fruits, vegetables, baked goods, clothing jewelry and crafts. All while enjoying live music and entertainment! If you're planning a trip to Puerto Vallarta you can visit in person. If not, you can visit via this video and stay in the loop by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @BibliotecaPVR. Adios!

Feel Good Friday - Algalita Marine Research Institute

Today, Feel Good Friday is going to the oceans to learn about the Algalita Marine Research Institute.


I first heard about Algalita during my interview with ocean rower, Roz Savage, which you can watch here.  Their mission is stated on their website: "Algalita is dedicated to the protection and improvement of the marine environment and its watersheds through research and education on the impacts of plastic pollution."

Odds are (since you read this blog) that you've heard of the North Pacific Gyre, also known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It's an area of "plastic soup" in the Pacific Ocean, twice the size of Texas, first discovered by Captain Charles Moore, the founder of Algalita. It was that discovery that changed the focus of the organization in 1999 from restoring disappearing kelp forests to focusing on plastic pollution.

The problem with plastic is that it biodegrades extremely slowly and in the process it breaks down into tiny fragments that fish and other sea creatures mistake for food. It not only kills marine life but also threatens the health of the oceans. That's why "Algalita has worked tirelessly to give the ocean a voice through our in-depth research and education programs. Through everything we do, we illustrate how every individual can be part of the solution."

Steps you can take include advice you've heard before: reduce, reuse, and recycle your plastic. Algalita also adds research and education to the mix. Research efforts include a South Pacific Expedition, a retrospective on the North Pacific Gyre as well as plastic, pollutants, and wild life studies. Education opportunities for youth are FREE and include annual international youth summits, STEM workshops and presentations for the classroom, and Debris Science Investigation Kits, which are geared for grades 6-12 but I still want one.

You can watch a short intro video of Algalita here and check out more videos on their channel. If you want to support their work you can do that by making a donation, buying some merch then liking the Algalita Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Algalita