ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOX) - A non-profit group is hoping to get young black girls excited in future Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – or STEM – careers.
To do that, Black Girls Do STEM is bringing experiences to local neighborhoods. The organization is hoping to gather 80 sixth through ninth graders for a free 9-month academy called STEM Saturdays.
Cynthia Chapple, Founder and Managing Director of Black Girls Do Stem, tells KMOX News she launched the program based on her own experiences having to travel outside her community for educational opportunities.
"I think we normalize this lack of access, we normalize this lack of proximity to these resources and to these types of engagements," explains Chapple. "So we begin to almost begin to tell ourselves as people, as parents, as kids, that that's not for me, that's for someone else."
The Black Girls Do STEM, STEM Saturday Academy will be held at sites in North and South St. Louis. Chapple says along with introducing young women to science, technology, engineering and math, she also hopes to help girls make connections and build confidence.
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