TechGirls connects and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by providing them access and opportunities to advance their skills and pursue their dreams.
In 2023, the program will bring together 111 peers from 35 countries/territories and 15 American young women for a 25-day U.S.-based experience with a 7-month mentoring program (pre- and post- exchange).
Since 2012, TechGirls has trained and mentored 528 teenage girls (ages 15-17). The program began supporting girls from the Middle East and North Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen). In 2019, the program expanded to include young women from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). In 2022, the program underwent a global expansion to begin serving girls in six world regions (Western Hemisphere, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Eurasia, East Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and South and Central Asia).
The core of the program is a 25-day experience in the United States in partnership with Virginia Tech, a public research university. These plans are tentative and subject to adjustment pending review of evolving best practices, including COVID-19 guidelines. TechGirls participate in an interactive technology and computer camp, then virtually travel to one of the following cities (Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, or Seattle) for community and career explorations. The TechGirls programming yields a multiplier effect as participants return home to educate their peers and create community based projects.
TechGirls is packed with skill-development workshops and interactions with America’s most innovative tech professionals as well as 40 hours of study at a Tech Camp with our partner the Center for Enhancement in Engineering Diversity at Virginia Tech. The TechGirls program offers a rich cultural immersion experience, improves the participants’ ability to enter tech fields and encourages them to pursue higher education in fields where women are underrepresented.
Eligible Countries: TechGirls will be competitively recruited and selected from the following regions/countries and territories:
- Sub-Saharan Africa (AF) – Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa
- East Asia and Pacific (EAP) – Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Taiwan, and Vietnam
- Europe and Eurasia (EUR) – Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Turkey
- Middle East and North Africa (NEA) – Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, and Tunisia
- South and Central Asia (SCA) – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
- Western Hemisphere (WHA) – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Suriname
- United States of America
TechGirls is an initiative of the opens in a new windowU.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations.
