Summer Associate Inside Info
If you still haven’t heard about our Summer Associate Intern position, that’s okay! There’s no time like the present! We’ve held info sessions, sent emails, and made posts, so now we’re making it as easy as possible and compiling all of the info right here for you! This quick four minute read will tell you everything you need to know about becoming a part of the Girls Code the World team this summer in Philly!
What, When, and Where?
Girls Code the World is so excited to announce that we will be hosting 10 week-long sessions this summer at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia for girls ages 8-12 and we need your help! We’re recruiting amazing interns at the high school or college level to run one of these sessions alongside a head intern. Each week’s curriculum will follow a standardized base format, which means a significantly less amount of planning for interns, and the opportunity to make more decisions on the “customizable” features of each program. This includes things like different speakers, two optional customizable lesson plans, facility tours, and more!
There’s no need to fear if you’re worrying about a lack of teaching experience; most of the GCTW lesson plans follow a simple format. A typical lesson begins with a warm-up or question for the campers based on the day’s teachings. We’re all about teaching confidence in these young girls, so encouragement is key - try to get guesses and answers even if it’s a concept they’ve never heard of! After some brainstorming, you’ll move on to the period of actual instruction. As an intern, you’ll teach the lesson in chunks and sections to avoid confusion and allow time for our campers to follow along. The lesson plan usually has allotted time at the end for application. You and your campers will experiment and build on the original design by encouraging creativity based on the given topic. Wrap up your lesson by holding a discussion and asking questions that will get the campers to speak on what they learned.
Timeline and Planning
Getting involved starts now! Applications are open March 4th-April 10th, and we will be conducting interviews from April 11th-April 20th. Final decisions will be released April 22nd. After all of the formalities, the fun will begin starting May 15th, where you will be assigned to your program, your partner, and more. We will have orientation on May 16th from 7-9 PM, when your training will begin. Training will take approximately 10 hours over the course of a month and includes learning about interaction with campers, reviewing the organizational requirements, filling out minors compliance forms/background checks, customizing lesson plans, and working with our head intern, Cayleigh Haag. The first day of programming is June 20th.
Cayleigh first began working with Girls Code the World in 2019, at just thirteen years old. She was then promoted to head intern 2 years later. “In 2021, I proposed the idea of running 10 summer programs at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia to GCTW’s CEOs Mina Shokoufandeh and Sydney Gibbard. With their help and the help of the entire GCTW team, this goal of mine is becoming a reality.” The camps should serve over 100 girls in the greater Philadelphia area, with about half of the students coming from low-income backgrounds and attending on a full scholarship, thanks to Cayleigh’s ideas and dedication. Last summer, Cayleigh ran a week-long program in the Central Bucks area after shadowing virtual camps due to COVID. Outside of GCTW, Cayleigh enjoys running cross country and track, Irish dancing, and running her school’s Math National Honor Society. She is interested in studying physics and mathematics in college.
The Benefits
Everyone involved will be given approximately 10-15 volunteer hours for the beforehand planning and preparation. The 30 hours of in-person programming at the Academy of Natural Sciences are worth either 30 volunteer hours or $500. This, however, is only the beginning of the rewards you will receive from an opportunity like this. I think Cayleigh says it best when she reminisces about some of her favorite memories:
One of my favorite memories of working with GCTW was when, towards the end of last summer’s programming, the girls, my partner, and I finished our last lesson on aerodynamics and ate ice cream. I remember feeling so accomplished and proud. I actually wrote the curriculum for the aerodynamics lesson, so it was amazing to watch something that I was so passionate about become a reality. I love physics and to get to share that passion with the group of girls I was working with meant a lot to me. Afterwards, we ate ice cream and talked about some of our favorite moments from that week of programming. To my surprise, a few of the girls actually said the physics lesson had been their favorite. Working with GCTW is an ideal mentorship for anyone who cares about encouraging girls to have confidence in themselves and in their ability to learn. At the end of a programming session, when you say goodbye to a group of girls who you’ve grown alongside, you learn a lot about yourself and what makes you happy.
The encouragement and empowerment of young women in the STEM field is increasingly important in a world where many fields are still male dominated and women may feel misrepresented or left behind. By becoming a role model and encouraging these young girls to feel confident in themselves and their schooling, we will continue to see women progress in STEM education and beyond. You have the opportunity to be a part of something so incredibly special, and we truly hope that you want to be a part of it and join us this summer!
Apply to be a summer intern today: www.girlscodetheworld.org/summer-program-associate-application
Follow our Instagram @girlscodetheworld to stay up to date and get reminders!
Contact intern@girlscodetheworld.org with any questions