ChickTech: High School

We believe that access to technology career opportunities for girls and non-binary youth is critical, both to the industry and to their lives. Our future is being shaped by technology every day, and we deserve an equal say. ChickTech: High School provides a supportive and welcoming environment for students to learn, create, and do while surrounded by mentors and friends.
Register for mentorship!    Register for Code-tober Fest!

What is ChickTech: High School?

ChickTech: High School is a free program that includes interactive tech workshops, mentoring, and internship connections for 8th- to 12th-grade female, non-binary, and other gender minority students (including transgender youth of any gender presentation or identity).

Why we exist:

Many young women and non-binary adults do not reach their potential in tech because they were told it wasn’t for them. Some are led to think it is too difficult; others do not have role models in the field to help encourage and guide them. ChickTech: High School exists to break down the barriers preventing historically-marginalized youth from thriving in STEM.

Our program is designed to be super-inclusive. We encourage all students to tell us about any ways we can reduce or eliminate barriers to joining when they register.

Get notified when new programs open

What students can expect:

📆 Interactive workshops, from video game design to robotics, web development to career planning

🤗 A supportive Discord community to chat about tech (& beyond!)

👩🏽‍🔬 Mentorship opportunities with industry professionals working in STEM fields

❌ NO attendance requirements or assignments

❌ NO cost or fees—joining is 100% free

📆 Upcoming: Code-tober Fest

ChickTech welcomes Portland High School enby youth and girls to join us for this beginner-friendly Hackathon! Students in grades 9-12 with any level of tech experience are invited to join us for a FREE event where they’ll learn to code, meet new friends, and take home some awesome swag. Food and equipment will be provided!

Date & Time: October 7-8th, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Location: Portland State University Engineering Building – 1930 SW 4th Ave., Portland, OR 97201

👩🏾‍💻 Fall Virtual Mentorship Cohort

October 25, 2023 – January 17, 2024

Get expert advice to help you meet your career goals, learn new skills, and so much more. Sign up for our Fall Mentorship Cohort, where you’ll be matched with a professional in STEM that can help you on your tech journey!

  • Get your questions answered about college, careers, internships, interviews, and more
  • Meet new friends and win awesome raffle prizes for participating
  • Work towards tech- or career-related goals with help from a professional in STEM

Mentor pairs will meet once a month via the Dreami platform, and students will get access to the ChickTech Discord server to meet fellow students and grow their communities. Sign up today to reserve your spot!

Sign up for program updates

Registration and nominations are currently closed. To get notified when sign-ups open for ChickTech: High School, please sign up for our newsletter! Your data is safe with us! We will never sell or give out your personal information without your consent, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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Portland 2015 High School Kickoff. Photo by Wojtek Rajski.

Seattle 2016 High School Kickoff. Photo by Wojtek Rajski.

Portland 2013 High School Kickoff. Photo by Todd Kulesza.

Corvallis 2013 High School Kickoff. Photo by Todd Kulesza.

Portland 2014 High School Kickoff. Photo by Wojtek Rajski.

Portland 2013 High School Kickoff. Photo by Todd Kulesza.

Who we serve

We work with 8th- to 12th-grade girls and non-binary students. Any student who identifies with a marginalized gender is welcome to apply to our program, including transgender students of any gender expression or identity.

Our nomination and recruiting practices prioritize supporting further-underserved students in STEM, including students of color (particularly Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous students), LGBTQ+ students, and low-income students.

Every effort is made to provide equipment, Spanish language support, and accommodations to those in need. Plus, we provide transportation assistance and food at all in-person events, offer child-care stipends for teen parents, and give out awesome prizes just for participating.

Learn more about inclusion at ChickTech

A few of our workshops include:

Robotics

In this workshop, participants learn how a sophisticated robot is built and programmed – while building and programming their own at your own pace! Participants learn how to write a program to make their robot move in simple or complex patterns, to sense and avoid obstacles, to flash LEDs either at random, in sequences, or as an indication of the control process.

And the best part, after the workshop concludes, the students get to take their finished robot home!

Soft Circuits

By teaming up with professional engineers and using a Lilypad Arduino microcontroller, participants will transform a tote bag into an engineering marvel with some high-tech bling! Participants will learn programming and soldering basics to design, create, and program electronics that can sense inputs such as touch or light, and respond with outputs like sound or LEDs.

Smartphone App

There really is an app for everything! Apps to help you buy your groceries, check Facebook, read the news, play games, listen to music, and an endless amount of other things. Apps are really simple to make, and you can use your own creative idea to even come up with the next big thing! In this workshop, participants learn App Inventor, a program to create apps for Android phones – have a really fun weekend learning to build very own app!

3D Printing

Have you heard all the rage about 3D printing? From printing prosthetic arms to replacement hearts to fun toys, 3D printing has many applications in the real world. In our 3d Printing Workshop, participants will get a taste of what it’s like to design and print their own 3D object which they then get to take home to enjoy!

Volunteer to support ChickTech: High School

ChickTech is working to advance a diverse pipeline of girls and non-binary students into STEM careers, and we want YOU to get involved!

There are many ways to donate your time and expertise. You can help us coordinate in-person or virtual workshops, promote the program within your local community, and conduct outreach to high schools, to name a few roles. We can’t wait for you to join our community!

View volunteer opportunities

Spread the word!

We provide free, fun, and homework-free programs for girls and non-binary students in grades 8-12. Learn how you can spread the word about our workshops and mentorship events with our downloadable graphics and templates.

View our media kit