We are requesting funding from the Women's Fund for this program.

This funding would make this program possible free of charge to participants.

The goal of this camp is to empower girls in a supportive environment to help them realize they are brilliant, creative, and fully capable of being the next generation of PhD students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Each day at camp, the girls will be exposed to science, in particular biology, and how fun it can be.

Curriculum topics will include the scientific method, data collection, sampling methods, and observation of the natural world. Each girl will be coached to propose and test their own hypothesis while on the farm. In addition, each girl will be asked to choose a particular component of our area’s natural history (such as aquatic organisms, native plants, insects, etc.) and learn to identify these organisms on the farm and a bit about their life cycles. Many scientists believe that if you know and love the world around you, curiosity and questions blossom. 

Empower Girls will be co-taught by Ana Skemp and Lila Planavsky. Ana Skemp (M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) researched how the environment affects behavior in spiders, bees, and praying mantids for her graduate work and has taught farm camps for the last five years. Lila has worked in the school district and with farm camp for years.  

Children will be asked to bring their own healthy snacks and lunch.