License to Thrive

Girls Inc. – Strong, Smart and Bold

Eureka is an intensive five-week, full day math, science, technology, career and personal development and sports summer program for girls which builds on the success of the Girls Incorporated national program Operation SMART. Since 1985, Operation SMART (Science, Math And Relevant Technology) has led the way in providing engaging hands-on activities in these critical areas that encourage girls to prepare for post secondary education and for careers in these fields. Based on current research on the strengths and needs of young women, Eureka is designed to have a real impact on girls’ persistence in math, science, technology, career planning and sports participation and on girls’ view of themselves as leaders.

Eureka targets lower-income girls and girls of color ages 12-15.  Eureka is held each summer on the Lynn campus of North Shore Community College.  The integrated approach of Eureka engages each girl’s mind, body and spirit at a critical pre-adolescent stage when her personal and academic choices greatly influence her future.  Supportive intervention that gives each girl the practice and tools she needs to make informed decisions and set long-term goals leads to a ‘can-do” attitude, emblematic of Eureka participants. Eureka helps young women develop the confidence, skills and resources to succeed in whatever career and life paths they may choose:

• Eureka focuses on girls who all too often are left out of the math-science “pipeline:” girls of color, girls from lower-income households, girls who are the first in their families to set their sights towards college education, girls achieving at an average level academically.
• The four-year cycle of Eureka provides a tangible commitment to each participant and a progression of experiences culminating in a paid internship.
• The all-girl setting encourages girls to speak out, ask questions and take risks in order to learn and grow.
• The program offers female role models that reflect participants’ aspirations.
• Like all Girls Incorporated programs, Eureka sets high expectation for young women and provides the tools and support that will help them live up to their potential.
• Eureka fosters collaboration and teamwork, building skills, attitudes and behaviors that benefit participants in the workplace and in their personal lives.

This year the Eureka program at Girls Incorporated of Lynn ran from July 5 through August 10, 2007. We served eighty-five girls: seventeen were entering seventh grade, thirty-five were entering eighth grade and twenty-one were entering ninth grade. We also provided twelve girls, who graduated from the program last summer, with a paid internship placement. The program was once again held at North Shore Community College in Lynn starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.  The girls spent half their day in science, math, personal development classes and the other half participating in sports and swimming Monday –Thursday. Expeditions were held every Friday for each cohort of girls.

The two main classes for the rising seventh grade girls were Patterns & Problem Solving and Design. The rising eighth grade girls’ classes included Environmental Science and Technology/Math and the girls entering ninth grade had a science, technology, engineering and math class as well as an academic and career exploration class. All the girls also had a personal development class that covered age appropriate health and sexuality topics.

Girls who complete three summers of Eureka are invited to return during the summer prior to the tenth grade for a paid internship. Girls are placed in internships related to the fields of math, science and technology as a means to learn more about various career options in these fields and as an opportunity to use what they learned in Eureka in a real life setting. The girls work 15 hours/week.  The girls prepare for their internships in the spring by participating in a series of professional development workshops offered through the Girls Incorporated Teen Program’s Career Learning Center. They also meet weekly during the summer as a group to discuss their experiences, brainstorm solutions to problems, share new knowledge and prepare for future work experiences.
 
The Eureka summer program at Girls Inc. of Lynn was successful in many ways. Based on the evaluation results and the feedback from the girls and staff, the girls not only strengthened their science, math and technology skills but they gained self-confidence, made new friends, connected with staff members who are all excellent role models, and discovered new sports to enjoy.