Many CAP teams focused their events on young girls and young women in their community or campus. They held conferences, workshops, and fairs to expose young girls and young women to nontraditional career fields, pay negotiation, and financial planning. The following are a few examples of such programming.
Girls Play Fair by Bucknell University, 2008
The CAP team at Bucknell University held several events to promote women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to raise awareness on campus about equal pay.
Their largest event was a "Girls Play Fair" conference for girls aged 9-12 and their parents/guardians. A speaker opened the event with a presentation on the history of women in science and technology and then the 35 participating girls rotated through five stations, where several female university STEM majors led the girls through an activity related to their major. Activities included making ice cream with liquid nitrogen at the chemistry station; mimicking computer programming at the computer science station; experimenting with the different lubricants at the mechanical engineering station; applying basic genetics to create candy "creatures" at the biology station; and making circuits to perform various functions, such as ringing bells, at the electrical engineering station. At each station, students received a certain number of chocolate coins. After a brief tutorial on wage negotiation, they used these coins to negotiate for science-related prizes. Here is one of the event evaluations.
A month later the CAP team held a follow up event with the same group of girls called "Evening with the Mythbusters." The event was a prelude to a presentation by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the co-hosts of the Discovery Channel show "Mythbusters." At the event, girls were paired with STEM majors at the university and they did experiments and played games to learn scientific terminology. Each girl received her own Mythbusters goody bag containing items that were used in Mythbusters experiments. They were also given a portfolio of science related worksheets and at-home experiments, such as making invisible ink, collecting fingerprints, and putting a pin through a balloon. Then the girls attended the Mythbusters lecture with their STEM "buddy."
CSI: Careers, Salary, and Inspiration Conference by Rogue Community College, 2008
The Rogue Community College CAP team sponsored an Equal Pay Day and Beyond Conference for high school and college students called C.S.I.: Careers, Salary, Inspiration. Students interested in majors and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math were particularly targeted to attend. The conference included a keynote speaker who offered strategies for success in career and education planning, a presentation by the Medford Police Department Forensics division, and a series of workshops on topics like science exploration, fun with electronics, and career exploration. The conference was attended by about 150 people. The CAP team also created a companion website: http://www.roguecc.edu/csi/ with pay gap information.
How to be Ms. Independent by College of Staten Island, 2007
Raising awareness about the pay gap between college-educated men and women and to mentor young women in money skills and financial planning were the event goals for the CAP team from the College of Staten Island.
First, the CAP team held four workshops at a limited secure girls' facility run by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, which houses girls ages 13-17 who have been placed there as a result of a family court case. The four workshops covered the following topics: financial planning, economic independence, balancing wants and needs, and non-traditional employment opportunities. The CAP team also purchased books about dealing with difficult situations and financial planning for the girls at the facility to read.
Second, the CAP team held several events on their campus for Equal Pay Day 2007. There was an Equal Pay Day Resource Fair that included several panels, such as one featuring successful women who offered financial and career advice to students and another one about careers in women's advocacy. At the end of the day, there was an "Equal Pay Day Poetry Slam" that featured student performers and feminist poets.
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Campus Action Projects
