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

[I_AM_Clayton]

I recently came across this on facebook, a girl wanted to attend a robotics session at her local library (Timmins public library), she was turned away simply because she was a girl, I know that we as a community in FIRST are already working furiously to get women into stem, so please sign this petition to allow females in this robotics program. At this time the petition is only 346 signatures away from the goal of 2,500 (I know we can help them surpass this goal!) https://www.change.org/p/timmins-public-library-allow-girls-to-participate-in-the-robotics-session?recruiter=243118406&utm_source=share_petit ion&utm_medium=copylink

[JG1902]

Signed. It's a shame that this is still even an issue.

[Whippet]

Signed. Policies like this only serve to widen the gender gap in STEM fields.

[Jacob Bendicksen]

Signed...sigh.

Wish we lived in a world where petitions like this didn't have to exist.

[RoboChair]

Now only need 144 more.

[LCJ]

127 more please sign!!

[Wayne Doenges]

Signed
78 more to go
You go girl

[safiq10]

Signed! 72 More!

[Noudvanbrunscho]

29 more!

[Jrizo]

Currently at 2591

[Brandon Zalinsky]

I would love to hear the library's side of this story. I'm sure they would be able to shed some light on this.

[Alan Anderson]

The library's side of the story was reported by the girl's parent as something like "Boys forget things during the summer and they're the ones who need this kind of activity." It'll be interesting to see if they give a direct statement.

[protoserge]

Having just spent a week with awesome librarians as part of the ILEAD June session the context of this activity and the narrative presented is completely opposite of what I would expect from a public library.

That being said, it was being advertised as a " *Special boys program - ages 9-12 years old* ". If the library wanted to address the claim that "boys academic and literacy skills don't improve over the summer break" I would like to see some cited evidence.

It would definitely be good to hear the standpoint of the library and the supporting evidence to their claim. Maybe there was a strong public interest in addressing a local problem such as boys literacy and this was a result. NOTE: I'm not saying that excluding such a program for girls is the right solution, just that robotics may not have been the program's goal. It would have been prudent to add an inclusive program for girls and boys.

[gblake]

Don't demonize the library. On the surface, at least, this is not unlike other programs that target audiences with special characteristics in order to get the most bang from their bucks, or to experiment with affecting one dimension of a social need.

I have participated in programs that were only offered to low-income students, or that targeted students who don't attend public schools. Those were generally celebrated for satisfying a need, and not castigated for excluding some (deserving) students.

Reading about a program that is focusing on boys is guaranteed to trigger knee-jerk reactions in many of us, but our reflexes might betray us in this case. Avoid the impulse to shoot from the hip, and find out the full picture before deciding where you stand.

Blake

[gblake]

If everyone who virtually signed the petition, additionally/instead sent $1 (US) to the library, the library would have plenty off money for starting a co-ed program to operate alongside their current program, and would be able to pay a nice stipend to whoever administers, and to whoever mentors, that new co-ed program.

I'm thinking that would be an excellent positive/helpful outcome; and repeating it would be a knee-jerk reaction worth cultivating.

Blake