GICCA received a grant from the Communities Foundation and from St. Mark’s/Hello GoodBuy to provide eight workshops this year at no cost to the participants, said Lori Peacock, CEO at GICCA and CTAE director for Glynn County Schools.
“Thanks to the generosity of these organizations, we will double the number of girls who can participate in the ‘This Girl Can’ workshops,” Peacock said. “We will also increase the number of workshops we can offer to the community this school year.”
All participants will also receive a free T-shirt.
GICCA partnered for the first time last year with Coastal Pines Technical College and the Golden Isles Development Authority to host the This Girl Can workshops, which aligned to three career pathways at GICCA — welding and machining, engineering and automotive.
“With the support of the grants and our two partners, we will be able to offer eight workshops in four different career areas — construction, welding and machining, engineering, and automotive-car maintenance,” Peacock said. ”Our goal is to offer four workshops in November and an additional four workshops in the second semester. This year our supporting agencies include Communities in Schools, Boys & Girls Club and Girl Scouts.”
The workshops are scheduled over three evenings, for two hours each night. Participants are required to commit to attending each evening.
GICCA will offer four workshops simultaneously Nov. 4, 8 and 9. On the third night, Nov. 9, all attendees will start the evening by listening to a panel of women working in nontraditional careers talk about their work and the academic and career pathways they took to achieve their current success.
This Girl Can is designed for eighth- and ninth-grade girls, and aims to increase their awareness of and exposure to non-traditional occupations for women, prior to selecting courses in career, technical and agricultural education in high school.
The workshops provide girls with a unique insight into career pathways they might not otherwise consider, Peacock said.
Each girl attends with one adult woman of her choosing, which may be a mom, grandma, godmother, older sister or other mentor.
During the workshop, participants will also complete a take-home project aligned to their career interest area.
“I would encourage families to take advantage of This Girl Can because it is a unique opportunity to ‘try out’ amazing careers for women in a safe, hands-on environment,” Peacock said.
“Guided by GICCA instructors, attendees will use the ‘tools of the trade’’ in the workshop they are participating in. The girls will learn not only what they like to do, but equally important, discover a potential new career to pursue.”
Space is limited for the workshops, and registration is required by Oct. 26. The workshops will take place at GICCA, 4404 Glynco Parkway in Brunswick.
Call 912-280-6750 to register.