Sign this petition to allow girls in robotics! (at Timmins Public library)!

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by gblake

The robots might be inert action figures for all I know, or they might be pre-made motorized devices students would drive, but learn nothing about, or they might be roles that would be assigned to participants in a role-playing game, or ....

I got the distinct impression that Lego Mindstorm was to be featured in the session.



Here's some more information from the library by way of a local radio station:

Timmins Public Library Chair and City Councillor Mike Doody says the entire incident was an “unintentional” “miscalculation” on the staffs part.

He says, this year’s robotics program is accepting 15 children. Currently, he says they have roughly 5 applicants registered so far.

So why was Cash, a young girl, allegedly turned away from the program when there were still 10 positions available? Her mother writes on change.org that Assistant Library Director Elaine De Bonis told her it’s because Cash is a girl, and the robotics program is geared towards boys to improve their reading skills.

Mike Doody elaborates on this claim [embedded audio]

He explains, the Library’s initial focus with the robotics program was to improve boy’s literacy through reading. How? He says, by creating incentives like the Robotics Program, boys are more likely to return to the library after the program is over to read. He says the library has found that girls are more likely to come to the library then boys are – hence, they don’t need as much initiative like the Robotics Program.

Another article from a Timmins newspaper has an actual quote:

“The feeling from staff was that young boys were falling away from reading programs,” Michael Doody, Timmins Public Library Board chairman said. “So, we decided to offer the 45-minute introductory robotics session to 15 boys to keep them engaged in reading.”