Video: Community Hotline Covers ChickTech

On Wednesday, Jan. 9, Janice Levenhagen-Seeley, Founder and Executive Director of ChickTech, along with Thompson Morrison, CEO of Fuse Insight, a business intelligence consultancy in Portland, were interviewed during the weekly viewer-call-in production by MetroEast Community Media in Gresham, OR. Watch their appearance above, or read more here.

Our initial test project was held on February 10-11 at the Central Oregon Community College campus in Madras, a small town of 6,046. There were 19 high school girls from the towns of Madras, Prineville, Culver, and the Warm Springs Reservation. Students could choose to participate in either a soft circuits or #d printing workshop, where they could design and create technology projects to take home. The workshops were supplemented by activities that brought together girls from different high schools, building a sense of community within the shared interest of creating technology.

During breaks, girls and volunteers talked about career options in technology and the education that supports those career choices. Being in the setting of the community college also allowed many of the girls to envision themselves as college students and plot their future careers.

Opening the doors of opportunity is the first step in getting young girls to realize their aptitude for technology-based careers. Thanks to AT&T Oregon, we’re able to sustain the current Oregon program while refining our rural program approach – with plans to expand the program to other rural communities nationwide.

None of this would be possible without the support from AT&T Oregon, as well as community leaders like Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, who recognized our efforts to bring STEM education to central Oregon girls. Receive the latest updates about how we’re turning girls into STEM superheroes worldwide by subscribing to our monthly ChickTech newsletter below.