In partnership with Friendly Inn Settlement
NAMC Northern Ohio Chapter hosts yearly a summer program, Rosie’s Girls® a STEAM, trades, and career exploration summer day camp for middle school girls. This program is nationally affiliated with Vermont Works for Women. At Rosie’s Girls, youth are introduced to skills and career fields that are nontraditional for their gender through hands-on learning in a supportive and empowering environment. In addition to trades and technical learning, campers learn from our social and emotional curriculum known as “Power Skills” to help them navigate school, friendships, and societal issues. Our staff members create a safe space for youth to step outside their comfort zones, make new friends, and build confidence in exploring their passions.
To kick off the project, the girls create a “Team Pact,” where they ensure it is a safe space for learning, sharing and growing. The pact gets posted in the classroom as a reminder of our shared agreement to respect one another and boundaries.
The president and 100% owner of The AKA Team, a commercial construction company located in the St. Clair/Superior neighborhood, is a black female named Ariane Kirkpatrick. Ariane often visits this camp to talk to the participants about her journey in this field and provides living proof that a young black girl from East 100 and Cedar could build her own successful construction company.
Safety Training is probably the most important component of working in ACE (architecture, construction, engineering) industries. The girls receive an overview of the industries by a veteran with more than 45 years’ experience, and an overview of safety from The AKA Team’s special projects coordinator. After they learn more about the industry and safety, the girls are paid a visit by The AKA Team’s general superintendent, where they got to experience hands-on learning with authentic construction company tools.
Projects during the two-week camp included marshmallow challenge, bridge building with popsicle sticks, building picture frames, jewelry boxes, wooden airplanes, coin banks, and more.
Rounding out the program was an awesome visit from Cleveland Drones who give the girls an overview/background about drones and then hands-on experience flying drones that are used on construction sites! The tech savvy young people particularly enjoyed this visit.