More Girls in STEM Fields? Jean MacDonald Makes It An APPsolute Possibility

Want to get girls more involved in science, technology, engineering and math? There’s an app for that. Well, technically, there’s an app camp for that. Ladies have long lacked presence in STEM fields, but Jean MacDonald is getting girls geared up for these male-dominated professions with the help of a few pioneering women.

By pairing up girls with established women in technology, MacDonald hopes to boost girls’ self-esteem, foster interest in the subjects and eventually narrow the gender gap. The idea for App Camp For Girls, a non-profit providing scholarships for girls aged 12-14, came to MacDonald at the Apple Developers Conference, where she noticed a major lack of females.

MacDonald, herself a partner at Smile, a productivity app developer for Macs and iOS devices, doesn’t intent to make App Camp all work and no play though. Aside from teaching the girls how to brainstorm ideas and turn ideas into apps (on their camp-supplied iPod Touches, no less), ACFG will also offer yoga and self-defense classes for their future female techies. And while it’s only set to launch in Portland, Oregon for now, MacDonald hopes to expand the non-profit camp to other states and countries in the foreseeable future.

Featured image via The Frisky