[Monochron]

Over the years I have seen quite a few efforts and plans, by FIRST teams and in other areas, to include more females in STEM. I will say that the majority of them fail to address the main underlying reason why we want more girls in STEM, that is, they can bring talent and intelligence to the table.

Going after females because we "want diversity" or "need a female influence" immediately isolates girls and pigeon holes them as "bringers of diversity". I have seen countless girls scared away because they immediately hear the message "we need more girls" instead of "we need more passionate individuals". Giving them the former message immediately lets them know that they will personally be a point of focus, a loner in a sea of boys.

My point is, don't immediately refer to students by their gender. Refer to them by their mind. Instead of preaching about being inclusive, just be inclusive. Don't teach students that we need a balance of minorities, teach them that we need a balance of skills. Some girls will take the message "we need more of your gender" well and it will motivate them to join, but I would guess that the majority would be put-off by that.