ChickTech: High School in Raleigh-Durham  is a free program created to show high school girls that engineering can be fun and exciting! We’ve created a comprehensive year-long program that begins with a weekend-long event for a cohort of 100 high school girls in December.

All workshops are hands-on and project-based so that participants come out of each with a sense of accomplishment and a burst of confidence. They remain engaged and learning through follow-up workshops throughout the year. Offerings include Robotics, UX Design, Mobile App Development, Video Production, E-Wearables, and Virtual Reality. Our program provides a fun, positive learning experience designed to build participants’ confidence in their technical abilities, give them positive role models, create connections with other young women from the Raleigh-Durham area, and create a positive association with technology creation. 

“This year, my senior year, I have applied to engineering schools for college. Without having the experience of ChickTech, I wouldn’t have even thought to be interested in technology. Now I want to go to school for it.”

ChickTech: High School Participant

HOW OUR PROGRAM IS DIFFERENT

A crucial aspect of our program is finding young women who would not otherwise have thought of themselves as capable of succeeding in a high tech career. Many of you have seen young women not reach their potential in STEM because they thought it was too difficult—or do not have any role models in the field.

Our High School Programs are free to high school girls. We provide supplies and materials needed to create the workshop, laptops to work with, and we coordinate with volunteer instructors around the Raleigh-Durham Area to lead the workshop. Transportation help and food are provided at all of our events; child care stipends are also available if needed.

Our 2017/18 cohort will start with a two-day Kickoff event in December and we will continue with monthly events around different careers, technologies, and companies throughout the next 6 months. Our nomination period is now open through October 20, 2017. If you are a teacher or sponsor with girls you would like to nominate, please use our nomination form. Parents, please reach out to your school’s CDC for recommendation.

ChickTech is a registered 501(c)3.