Through workshops and programs in web development, app development, 3D design and more, a Madison-area organization is equipping girls and youth of color to engage in and revolutionize the tech industry.
Founded in 2015 and serving 527 participants so far in 2020 — 60.2 percent of which are girls and 95.4 percent youth of color — Maydm seeks to provide girls and youth of color in grades six through twelve with skill-based training for the technology sector.
Program implementation lead Calley Mannion, shares more below.
How did Maydm begin?
After her experience in a classroom with very few girls and students of color, our founder and executive director Winnie Karanja started Maydm to provide STEM programming for these traditionally underrepresented populations. Winnie not only serves as founder of the organization but also teaches the first classes to elementary school girls to help fuel their interest in science, engineering and robotics.
What types of programs do you offer?
Maydm offers programs in a variety of STEM concepts including web development, app development, 3D design/modeling in Solidworks, hardware programming and more. It is our dream to show underrepresented students the variety of possibilities available to them in STEM. Our students have built websites for themselves and local companies; they’ve built Android games and designed intricate models of products to be 3D printed.
Tell us about #MakeWithMaydm:
#MakeWithMaydm was an eight-week series we created in response to the isolation of quarantine. We wanted to create STEM activities and unplugged activities for students of all ages. Each week features a woman or person of color “Innovator of the Week,” a math or logic activity and a tech challenge. The activities also have different levels so young innovators and older innovators can all join in the fun.
How has that program specifically impacted the community in light of Covid-19?
At the beginning of this pandemic, we talked with many teachers and parents about their experiences. Everyone was overwhelmed and juggling multiple schedules all at once. We wanted to create something that would hopefully ease some of the chaos. #MakeWithMaydm can be used to come together, as a family, for all ages. More than three hundred people have downloaded these activities and created with us this year.
How else has Maydm had to shift programming this year?
Maydm has embraced the many challenges of 2020 and found new, innovative ways to meet the needs of families in Dane County. By pivoting quickly and thoughtfully, Maydm has served 527 students this year between workshops, virtual sessions and three virtual summer immersive programs. We provided laptops and all necessary program materials, to ensure accessibility for all.
Over Spring Break, students met virtually to learn about web development and collaboratively build websites about social issues including climate change and racial justice in our Hear Me Now program.
In STEM Power is Girl Power, female-identifying middle school students learned all about introductory STEM concepts including robotics and coding. In the final week, they programmed robots to complete a home obstacle course they set up!
For Wonderful World of Web Development, middle school students came together to learn HTML and CSS, then built both individual and group websites about their favorite innovators including Mae Jemison and George Crum.
SolidWorks — Draft Your Model for the Future, a program for high schoolers, allowed Maydm students’ creativity to shine, using SolidWorks 3D Modeling software. They learned to digitally create designs that could later be 3D Printed, including items like hammers, fidget spinners and cell phone models.
How can we talk about and promote the vision of Maydm in our own homes?
We can talk about the importance of diverse STEM workforces, the inclusion of ideas from those with different life experiences,and how girls and people of color have been excluded from cultures of technology. We can be a mentor or a tutor, join a forum that promotes inclusivity and follow the Maydm newsletter to be educated about the importance of the work and learn how it can be supported.
How can community members get involved?
A simple and extremely meaningful way to help is to share about Maydm and our mission on social media (@maydmtech on Instagram and Facebook). The more people who know about and support our work, the more students we are able to reach. Interested in supporting our mission? Donate at donate.maydm.org.
– Megan Kulick
Photos courtesy of Maydm.
Megan Kulick is a journalism graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She worked in the nonprofit field for seven years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband and their daughter live in Mount Horeb. She is always in pursuit of a great trail to run, a good book to read and the best place to find a good iced coffee.