Girls Who Code, Fly, and Build: Empowering Underrepresented Voices in STEM

Outline

Detailed Outline (60 Minutes)

Session Title: Girls Who Code, Fly, and Build: Empowering Underrepresented and Bilingual Voices in STEM
Session Type: Hands-on Lab

1. Welcome & Framing the Challenge (10 minutes)

Content:
Introduce the session’s purpose — increasing representation and belonging for girls and bilingual students in STEM.
Share national data on gender and cultural gaps in STEM participation and briefly showcase success stories from Girls Who Code and the Aerial Drone Competition.

Engagement & Process:

Quick poll or digital word cloud: “What barriers keep girls or bilingual students from joining STEM programs?”

Pair-and-share reflection: Attendees discuss experiences supporting underrepresented learners.

Facilitator connects participant experiences to the session’s goals of inclusion and empowerment.

2. Exploring Real Models of Empowerment (10 minutes)

Content:
Demonstrate how coding and drone programs can inspire leadership, teamwork, and confidence in girls and multilingual learners.
Highlight practical bilingual engagement strategies, such as parent communication templates and student-led outreach.

Engagement & Process:

Short video or slideshow featuring girls leading drone missions or coding projects.

Interactive Q&A: “How can we adapt this model in our own schools or clubs?”

Device-based exploration: Participants view linked Girls Who Code and REC Foundation resources.

3. Identifying Barriers & Opportunities (10 minutes)

Content:
Guide attendees in analyzing equity challenges in their own school or district.

Engagement & Process:

Small-group activity: Teams use a bilingual brainstorming template (English/Spanish) to list barriers (e.g., language, resources, stereotypes) and opportunities (e.g., mentors, community partners).

Facilitator check-ins every 3–4 minutes to share examples and support discussion.

Quick gallery share: each table posts one “barrier → opportunity” pair on a shared board (Jamboard or Padlet).

4. Design-Thinking Sprint: Reimagining Inclusive STEM Spaces (20 minutes)

Content:
Participants apply design-thinking to create a prototype of a STEM club, classroom model, or mentoring structure that empowers underrepresented and bilingual girls.

Engagement & Process:

Guided design challenge:

Empathize: Define your learner’s needs.

Ideate: Brainstorm inclusive strategies.

Prototype: Sketch a club model or event concept using bilingual materials.

Hands-on creation: Use provided templates (paper or digital).

Peer-to-peer feedback: Participants rotate tables and leave sticky-note or digital comments.

5. Reflection & Action Planning (10 minutes)

Content:
Summarize key takeaways and guide attendees in translating ideas into actionable steps.

Engagement & Process:

Action plan template: Participants outline one specific change or initiative to implement in the next 30 days.

Exit share: Volunteers briefly describe their biggest insight or next step.

Provide access to a digital resource kit including bilingual outreach templates, mentoring models, and STEM organization links.

Artifact / Takeaway:

Each participant leaves with a completed Bilingual STEM Equity Action Plan and a prototype design for an inclusive STEM initiative ready to pilot at their school or community site.

Outcomes

Attendees will leave this session with a Bilingual STEM Equity Action Plan and a prototype for an inclusive STEM program or club designed through the session’s design-thinking sprint.

During the session, participants will:

Map barriers and opportunities for engaging girls and bilingual learners in coding, robotics, and drone-based projects.

Design a prototype for an inclusive STEM space, club model, or mentoring program using provided bilingual templates (English/Spanish).

Develop an action plan outlining specific steps, partnerships, and resources to increase representation and leadership among underrepresented students.

By the end, each attendee will have a tangible, classroom-ready framework to launch or strengthen programs that empower girls—and especially Hispanic and bilingual learners—to code, fly, and lead in STEM with confidence.

Supporting research

Supporting Research

National Science Foundation (NSF). (2023). Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering.
→ Provides current data on participation gaps and representation in STEM fields.
https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23315

Girls Who Code. (2024). Annual Impact Report.
→ Documents strategies and outcomes for increasing girls’ confidence and retention in computer science.
https://girlswhocode.com

REC Foundation. (2024). Aerial Drone Competition Overview.
→ Demonstrates how drone-based programs engage diverse learners in hands-on STEM and leadership.
https://recf.org/drone

U.S. Department of Education Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). (2023). Supporting Multilingual Learners in STEM Education.
→ Highlights best practices for bilingual and multilingual student engagement in STEM.
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/index.html

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2022). Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in STEM Organizations.
→ Research-based framework for inclusive STEM practices across K–12 and higher education.
https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/26306

Bybee, R. W. (2013). The Case for STEM Education: Challenges and Opportunities. NSTA Press.
→ Discusses how authentic, technology-rich learning builds equitable pathways in STEM.

PBLWorks. (2023). Gold Standard PBL for Equity and Inclusion.
→ Offers frameworks for designing inclusive, student-driven, project-based STEM experiences.
https://www.pblworks.org

National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). (2024). DoD STEM Ambassador Program.
→ Describes initiatives that connect educators with resources to broaden participation in STEM.
https://www.nms.org

Latinos in Science and Engineering (MAES). (2024). Building Culturally Relevant STEM Pathways.
→ Focuses on cultural and linguistic inclusion for Hispanic learners in STEM.
https://www.maes-natl.org

Code.org. (2024). State of Computer Science Education Report.
→ Examines access and participation trends, with data on gender and diversity in computing education.
https://code.org/promote/reports