Girl Power

Ladies,

I am writing to you because I think it’s time we start to work together. FIRST supplies us with a plethora of resources to utilize throughout the season, yet there are still a lot of questions left unanswered. Questions like “where can I find more information about the STEM community beyond FIRST,” or “how can I get support from other girls in FIRST,” are hard to answer with a simple link. That’s why, every month I will be blogging about websites, videos, and anything else I find that can help answer these questions and bring this community closer. However, it wouldn't a true blog series if there wasn't contribution from the readers. If you find something you think is worth sharing, let me know, and I’ll put it in a post (citing my source of course)! I look forward to reading about what you find, and without further ado, here are the things I found for the month of July.

For the month of July I wanted to start off by showcasing videos about girls, some are successful commercials, and others are inspirational. There are a lot of videos so I picked my top three and then included some honorable mentions.

Top Three Videos:

1. Lean In: Ban Bossy
Change the Story: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1q1CiuCET8
I'm Not Bossy. I'm the Boss: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dynbzMlCcw 

Sheryl Sandberg and her organization Lean In have revolutionized the 21st century feminism conversation by creating a campaign called “Ban Bossy.” While some consider it counter productive, it seems to have struck a chord with society. This campaign strives people to think about[p how their words and subconscious gender bias shapes the lives of young girls. Whether or not you are on board with “Ban Bossy” she does point out that by the time girls reach middle school they are less likely to pursue leadership roles. Her book Lean In takes this concept further by “focusing on encouraging women to pursue their ambitions, and changing the conversation from what we can’t do to what we can do.”  For more information, visit about the Ban Bossy Campaign, visit leanin.org/. 

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2. Afghanistan's Girl Skaters -- Kabul 2012
www.youtube.com/watch?v=93eSM9mWkkk 

Skateistan describes itself as “a non-profit organization [that] uses skateboarding as a tool for empowerment.” The company has projects in Afghanistan and Cambodia and their vision is to empower youth, create new opportunities and the potential for change. In Afghanistan, Skateistan has made a huge impact. Since girls aren’t allowed to ride bikes, skateboarding has become a constructive outlet. With girls representing 40% of the school’s demographics, this school and organization works with more young women than any other co-ed sport in Afghanistan. For more information visit their website 
www.skateistan.org/. 

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3. Always: #LikeAGirl
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

In this video Always ask a series of individuals what it means to do something like a girl, and to be honest the answer is unsavory. The tagline for the video is “when did doing something ‘like a girl’ become an insult?” It really sheds light on the phrase “like a girl” and it can effect society’s perception of girls and a girl’s perception of herself. For more information on Always and #LikeAGirl visit www.always.com/en-us/likeagirl.aspx. 

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Honorable Mentions:

FTC Team 7190 Green Girls: 2013 Promote Video “Leadership is…" www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CRu2E1folk 

The Green Girls from Eagan, Minnesota created a video to promote FIRST and STEM. In this 1 minute video they point out that leadership is for everyone. To learn more about the Green Girls, visit www.greengirlsrobotics.com/. 

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Gnarly in Pink
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpR7Mp6sjY0

A group of 6 year old girls challenge the idea that skateboarding is for boys and form the Pink Helmet Posse. This adorable 8 minute documentary will have you smiling and wanting to try skateboarding for yourself! To read the article visit http://nyti.ms/1llpCU1. For more information about the Pink Helmet Posse,  visit http://pinkhelmetposse.com/. 

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Verizon: Inspire Her Mind
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP3cyRRAfX0 

In this commercial, Verizon encourages the audience to inspire “her” mind and prompt her to pursue STEM classes. To find out more about their campaign, visit www.verizon.com/powerfulanswers/inspirehermind/. 

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Google Science Fair: Meet Ann Makosinski
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrnNmzSSn0w 

Meet Ann Makosinski, winner of the 15-16 Age Category of the Google Science Fair 2013. Inspired by friends that could not afford electricity, Ann created a battery-free flashlight that generates light from the heat of the human hand. To find information about her project, visit: https://2013v707-dot-sciencefair-2012.appspot.com/admin/data/project-site-export.

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This blog post was written by one of our alumni partners - Claudia Dubé. She has agreed to write a monthly blog post about resources that girls can use to become inspired and learn new skills. To find out more about her - check out our FIRST Ladies Partners page!