"SCFG has influenced my life tremendously. I have gained leadership skills by working everyday with the girls and teaching them." — Amalia
Career Exploration, Leadership, & Life Skills (C.E.L.L.S.) is the youth development umbrella that houses a palette of semi-sequenced science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and leadership programs. Girls try on different STEM-related identities and are given the space to explore their own development through multiple pathways. To see the schedule and locations for our various teen programs, visit the Teen Sites tab of our locations page.
Junior Mentoring is a leadership program where upper-middle and high school girls serve as co-teachers and mentors in K-8th grade science clubs. Junior Mentors also participate in a job preparation program once a month to learn and practice teamwork, communication skills and other critical 21st century skills.
—Junior Mentoring is open to all girls in grades 9-12, and girls in grade 8 who have previously been Science Club for Girls participants, or have prior experience as a peer leader.
—Junior Mentors looking for an additional leadership opportunity who have mentored for at least 2 years are eligible to apply for a Lead Junior Mentor position. Lead Junior Mentors work closely with program staff to plan and facilitate additional Junior Mentor trainings, and serve as a peer mentor to other JMs at their site.
—To see schedule and locations for the Junior Mentoring opportunities, check out the Teen Sites tab of our schedule and locations page.
The team meets weekly in Kendall Square. With guidance from professional rocket scientists and engineers, the teens learn about science and engineering as they design and build their own rockets to enter in the national Team America Rocketry Challenge. Girls in grades 8-12 are welcome to apply.
Chem Team, Tuesdays, 4:30 – 6:30pm
New this year, Science Club for Girls will be experimenting with Solar Energy! Using a device called SHArK (Solar Hydrogen Activity Research Kit), girls on the Chem Team will be working with scientists in a lab at MIT, discovering new chemicals to absorb sunlight and create usable energy. Here’s to a greener future through Chemistry!
Media Team: Wednesdays, 4:30 – 6:30pm
Lights, Camera, Action! Girls interested in science communication and filmmaking will work with mentors to create their own “Bill Nye the Science Guy” inspired video. The girls will learn how to interview subjects, create stop animation segments, and edit video and audio to teach our community about a topic in STEM. In the spring, we will showcase our work at a public screening.
Tech Team, Thursdays, 4:30 – 6:30pm
We have an app for that! Girls interested in entrepreneurship and coding will work with mentors in business, computer science, and development to invent and market an app. In the spring semester, they will use their skills to compete in the Technovation Challenge. More information about the Technovation Challenge can be found on their website.
High School STEM Internship Program. Grades 10 – 12
This is an opportunity for girls ages 16 and up to gain authentic experiences in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Interns work with mentors in academic and industry settings once per week after school. In the past, girls have designed and built underwater rovers, made videos for speech pathology labs, even worked on developing synthetic skin grafts. The girls in the program meet once a month for science communication workshops, and present their work at a mid-year oral presentation, the Cambridge Science Festival, and a poster session in May. Girls must have previously participated in other Science Club for Girls teen programs to be considered for an internship.
Sister Circle Workshops *only for Junior Mentors and Challenge Teams participants*
Sister Circles provide our teen program participants the opportunity to explore different facets of identity, health, careers, and community. Guided by collegiate and professional mentors, teens meet outside of regular club time for workshops and field trips to foster friendships across programs, and develop the necessary networks and skills to forge successful futures through college and into adulthood. Sister Circles are a supplemental, required piece of programming for all Junior Mentor and Challenge Team participants.
Over the course of 6-weeks, girls explore topics and careers from a range of STEM fields through hand-on activities and field trips throughout the Cambridge and Boston areas. Then they distill their learning into hands-on activities that they run for younger students. This program is held in conjunction with the Cambridge and Boston summer youth employment programs, and applications must be submitted directly through those programs in late spring.
Use the links above to determine which programs and locations are of interest to you. You are welcome to participate in more than one program. If already know what you’re interested in, fill out an application, and a member of our teen program staff will be in touch.
The application deadline is Thursday, September 15th, but we begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis next week, so send in your application now!
Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date on Science Club for Girls news, events, and programs.
For more information on our programs for girls in grades K-5, please visit the K-5 Programs page.