[angelah]

This is a big issue for me as a female mentor. I have been noticing the little things about FRC that can inhibit female participation (or, in some cases, just fail at improving female involvement), but that's a whole other thread.

I think as individual teams, recruitment of young women is the most visible thing that can be done, but just a small part of the strategy needed.

I have worked with my team to talk about the subtle ways behaviors and beliefs can drive young women away from a team. The young men are very receptive in my experience. These include changing the ways people speak to each other and treat each other's ideas, countering negative beliefs male students or mentors may have, etc.

We also work very hard to come along side young women on an individual basis when they are in the most vulnerable "girls aren't good at this stuff" years in late elementary and middle school. Our students coach FLL and FTC teams and work very hard to make connections with the girls on the teams and with keeping a positive environment for them as a whole.