CSforALL member, The Girls’ Place Chicago, explains how our approach and view on young girls as innovators should not just be the future but today.

Recently, I took my nine and ten-year-old nieces to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, where science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematical equations come alive through the interactive exhibits. From pushing a touch screen display to see how tornado’s form, and watching one develop right before your eyes, to learning the biology of embryo growth by viewing the development of baby chicks, from egg incubation to, in real time, watching baby chicks hatch. Science, technology, engineering, art, and math are everywhere in this museum.

My nieces, like all who visit the museum, are captivated by this place of exploration and education. The museum provides real time exposure to STEAM industries. As much as we all get inspired while visiting a science and technology museum, a daily visit is impractical. But, what if there was an accelerated opportunity to bring hands on discovery to the girls in our communities, where they live, into their homes? What if we all felt the urgency of now, to greatly increase participation of girls in STEAM education?

There is one exhibit, at the museum, The Fast Forward-Innovating the Future which has a “What If…?” question as a header to some of the innovators highlighted. This exhibit got me to thinking, “What if?” we all viewed little girls as innovators of not just the future but today?

Help Girls Foster an Early Interest in the Sciences and Prepare Them to Be Role Models

If we believe that women deserve significant, forward leaning, representation in the STEAM industries, shouldn’t we empower girls to think creatively and be innovators now?

STEAM is not just an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, it is an educational method that integrates all these subjects to bridge the learning gap by putting children at the core of the experience.

Role model exposure is one of the first steps. If girls are introduced to young ladies and women contributing to society through STEAM industries, through their ingenuity, I believe this would spark a long term interest in these fields.

Lift Their Confidence and Get Them Ready for the Future

The world is ever changing, and there will be more and more STEAM job openings. But do we have a balanced, gender equitable, labor force to fill those vacancies? Technology and innovation are revolutionizing our economy and our world. The disciplines of science, technology, engineering, art, and math are running short of young, qualified students. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we, deliberately, engage young girls in the computer sciences and all STEAM industries to ensure a robust, world shaping representation of women. With the enormous gender imbalance in STEAM fields, we need to equip more girls with the required knowledge and skills to compete in this ever-evolving space.

The Future is STEAM

About the Organization: The Girls’ Place Chicago is a mosaic of diversity and believe that girls are valuable, capable and have a voice that needs to be heard. We praise everyone’s efforts and ensure each girl feels a sense of hope, value, and compassion while growing into confident women who pay it forward.

About the Author: Endla M. Thornton — Founder, Executive Director, The Girls’ Place Chicago. As a woman who has paved her way in an industry dominated by men, television producer Endla Thornton had to overcome many obstacles to establish a successful career that spans over 30 years. As an accomplished producer, she has mentored young women — high school and college students — as they explored opportunities in the television industry, including providing internships.

As a result, many of them have since established growing careers while learning how to navigate the barriers women sometimes face in any industry. Having helped young people grow in confidence as they identified their career paths is what motivated her to start The Girls’ Place Chicago. It gives her an opportunity to expand her outreach and explore another area of passion: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM).

Beginning with helping girls ages 7 to 14 build their confidence and establish healthy self-esteem early on, she hopes to spark and nurture their curiosity in STEAM industries as they recognize their talents and embrace their uniqueness on their journey toward living community-focused, successful lives.