The Techbridge Difference
Explore these profiles to learn more about impact.
Confidence is Contagious
In Meredith’s afterschool program, the buzz starts days before the first session. The girls who have signed up – about 15 altogether – start asking, “Will we have Techbridge Girls next week?” Like most TBG afterschool programs, Meredith’s offers all the attractions: snacks, fun science projects, excited friends, family support, and maybe a drone or two to fly. Over the eight or more sessions, that buzz keeps building. The more the girls learn, the more excited they are to share what they know.
A teacher at a Title One school in Dallas, Meredith was confident with her STEM skills, but she credits Techbridge Girls with increasing her confidence even more. “Being successful and feeling successful makes me more confident,” she says. As for her students, she says, confidence is indeed contagious. Meredith says her girls are building strong relationships with their peers around their love of STEM, and that in the process, “their confidence has gone through the roof.”
One aspect of TBG programming that Meredith loves is our representation of diverse STEM role models. Doing that research on her own, she says, would be difficult and time consuming, but TBG provides educators with role models matched to each topic.
Meredith sees TBG as a bridge that connects her students to further education and opportunities in STEM. As her students approach middle school, she hopes that their confidence, alongside the enthusiastic support of their friends and families, will encourage them to keep participating in STEM electives.
This spring, Meredith’s TBG girls celebrated their graduating 5th grade members with a pizza and dance party. One student chose to go on to the Dallas Environmental STEM Academy, with the goal of becoming a scientist.
Meredith still has more to do, and Techbridge Girls has more support to offer her. Next, she could join our STEM Learning Community (SLC) and, alongside other educators and administrators, learn the skills to make changes throughout their own educational ecosystem.
Joining the SLC is a great way to boost confidence.
90% of TBG youth feel more confident in their STEM knowledge after participating in a TBG program.
Our leaders report that participating in the course doubled their confidence.
Places of Persistence
Lauren had never taught a STEAM class before, and she was not feeling confident. “It was kind of bringing me back to those early days in science classes, like, I have to know everything about STEAM and electricity and technology. You know, all the things.”
Some of her students at her elementary school in Chicago were also feeling nervous. “They were hesitant. This particular group, they struggled with perseverance. If they didn’t know what to do, their first thing would be to ask me, or just to say, I don’t know what to do.”
But the Techbridge Girls curriculum was designed with educators like Lauren in mind. “All the materials were provided for me, the lesson plans were there, the support was there. The barriers were gone. All I had to do was do it. That made me much more likely to try it out and take a stab at it and fail with the kids, and succeed with them.”
Lauren persisted, and so did her students. “With the drones, I hadn’t used that program before, so I thought it was a good opportunity to make it a little painful for them.
I say that with kindness. I told them, you need to look at these directions before you start jumping into the coding. Because I know that’s what you’re going to do, and then you’re immediately going to tell me you don’t know what to do.”
Her strategy worked. “I did see progress. Towards the end, they were not giving up right away. They were trying things, or asking each other for help, or going to look at what resources they did have, like something in the student packet. They were much more willing to try things without knowing exactly what they needed to do by the end of it.”
Why is persistence so important? It’s not just about what we learn. It’s about how we learn. Students in Techbridge Girls programs learn fundamental concepts and skills in STEM. They also learn resilience and grit. They learn that the goal isn’t always about “getting it right.” They learn to try again. Techbridge Girls support educators in learning alongside their students, creating an environment where everyone can confidently innovate, experiment, make mistakes, and keep on going.
TBG’s approachable curriculum helps facilitators feel confident in leading students through exercises and experiments
As students learn new technologies, they can teach our educators, too
Talia Speaks a New Language
When Talia (not her real name) arrived at her school, she spoke very little. Her teachers thought that she was angered and confused by a recent family transition, but they had trouble reaching her. When she expressed interest in joining Techbridge Girls, they were thrilled. Talia, a second-grader, was technically too young to join the program, but our educators made an exception. And what followed was an astounding transformation.
Talia didn’t want to talk. But she did want to code. With headphones on and a laser-like focus, she locked in.
Working her way through the Techbridge curriculum alongside her older peers, Talia learned to use Micro:bits, drones, and invention kits. Soon, she was the best coder in her group, moving beyond the formal lessons with additional tools our educators provided to challenge her.
Talia’s big moment came during the holiday season. To celebrate the end of the semester, the group leaders held a maker challenge: how could students use materials left over from TBG exercises? Talia reached for trashbags and LEDs. When it was time to show the results, Talia wowed her classmates and teachers with her work, holding up a beautiful dress stitched through with glowing bulbs.
Talia learned technical skills through TBG – coding, building, problem-solving. But that was just the start. She also found her interest, her creativity, and her own way to communicate, beyond words. For Talia, coding, building, and problem solving with Techbridge Girls created a space for her to say “I belong”.
For Talia, coding, building, and problem solving with Techbridge Girls created a space for her to say “I belong”
Belonging isn't given. It's built.
It’s a classic conundrum for tweens: Where do I fit? For some, this feeling is exciting and already known. For others – and especially kids youth who already feel left out of STEM – this feeling can be paralyzing. So from the first invitation through the last pizza party, our programs are designed to build a sense of belonging. Step by step, Techbridge Girls know this is their “fit”.
Kaprece James, the CEO of Stella’s Girls in Maryland, has seen a lot of this new kid feeling in her work with 3rd to 12th grade girls. She has also observed how the Techbridge Girls curriculum helps her students start to feel at home.
“It’s the cultural connection, right? Being able to be in a safe space, where they’re allowed to think and ask questions, where they’re not going to feel like their questions are going to get overlooked. And that the people that are teaching it share that same culture with them. So (TBG) looks different that way.”
For instance, our shampoo experiment helped girls of color relate to the science behind hair care, as well as to role models in STEM careers.
“The girls are like, “Oh, this, this is me, too.” Yeah, this is you, too.”
Kaprece also noticed a change in her TBG facilitators. “It’s been amazing to watch their growth. In the beginning they probably were a little bit scared about [not knowing] anything about STEM. But I think the way they feel supported in the materials, they feel a lot more confident.” One facilitator is now on track to become a new STEM teacher. “After doing these sessions and working with the youth over these last 10 months, he’s like, “Yeah, this confirms it, I definitely want to be in the classroom.”
No matter where we are in our education or career, we can find ourselves being a new kid – and that’s a great thing. There’s always something new to learn. Techbridge Girls is committed to creating safe, welcoming spaces for that learning. Lesson by lesson, leaders, educators, and girls come to feel that they are in the right place. Together, we’re building spaces of belonging.
“It’s the cultural connection, right? Being able to be in a safe space, where they're allowed to think and ask questions, where they're not going to feel like their questions are going to get overlooked. And that the people that are teaching it share that same culture with them. So (TBG) looks different that way.”