Trades and career exploration summer camp for middle school girls
Vermont Works for Women (VWW) is partnering with The MINT – Rutland’s Makerspace to offer two weeks of “Rosie’s Girls” summer camp: July 25 – 29 and August 15 – 19.
VWW is also offering camps in Essex, Barre, Burlington, Swanton, and Bellows Falls.
Rosie’s Girls ® is a STEM, trades, and career exploration program for middle school girls and gender-expansive youth entering grades 6-8. At Rosie’s Girls summer camps, participants are introduced to a career field that is non-traditional for their gender through hands-on learning in a supportive and empowering environment. Rosie’s Girls is offered in two different themes: Build and Weld.
In addition to trades and technical learning, Rosie’s Girls includes a social and emotional curriculum known as Power Skills. This curriculum is designed to create a space for program participants to grapple with life and societal issues that are relevant to themselves while building capacity around facing and discussing them. Rosie’s Girls also incorporates art, team building, and other fun and games. Rosie’s Girls staff is highly trained in creating a space that is both physically and emotionally safe and empowering for all, and which encourages participants to lift each other up in trying new things and taking risks.
Rosie’s Girls summer camp is a week-long day camp offered in communities all across Vermont. Each summer, VWW leads two or three camps, and then partners with schools or community organizations to host Rosie’s Girls in an additional two or three communities.
2022 camps
VWW will offer Rosie’s Girls Camp in six communities across the state this summer. Registration is now open for Rosie’s Girls camps in Barre and Essex led by VWW:
- Essex: Rosie’s Girls Build, Center for Technology Essex: July 18-22, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Barre: Rosie’s Girls Weld, Central Vermont Career Center: August 1-5, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- The MINT in Rutland: July 25-29 and August 15-19, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
VWW is working with community partners to offer Rosie’s Girls in four other locations across the state. Stay tuned for registration announcements for the following Rosie’s Girls camps:
- Generator in Burlington: Dates TBD
- Swanton Elementary School: Dates TBD
- Bellows Falls Middle School: Dates TBD
Please contact Caelan Keenan, VWW’s youth program manager at ckeenan@vtworksforwomen.org to learn more about these community options.
Health and safety protocols
In order to offer in-person camp and maintain the health and safety of campers and staff, here are some of the features of Rosie’s Girls this summer:
- Camp will be 1 week-long, full-day from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Camp will include snack and lunchtime. Lunch will not be provided.
- Many games and activities will occur outdoors. Campers should be prepared with sun protection, water, and proper clothing.
- Build and Weld camps, as well as those hosted by the MINT and Generator makerspaces, will include the use of power tools. Explore camps will include mostly hand tools.
- At this time, masks are required for all campers and instructors during indoor activities. As guidance from the Dept. of Health evolves, VWW will notify families if our Covid-19 safety policies change.
Tuition and scholarships
Please note VWW has applied for funding that could reduce or eliminate tuition for campers. Until the final decision of that funding, VWW is not accepting payment for camp at this time. Should funding not come through, the cost of camp will not be more than $325-$400/week. Regardless of grant funding, scholarships will be available.
Signing up for camp today reserves your spot. VWW will notify families of the final cost of camp by May 1 and the official registration form will follow. If you have questions about this process, please contact VWW’s Youth Program Manager Caelan Keenan at ckeenan@vtworksforwomen.org.
To sign up for a week of STEM fun, visit: bit.ly/3jaAtTZ
