Program Dates: July 12 - 17, 2009
CAREER SUMMER INSTITUTE OVERVIEW:
CSI is a free, weeklong residential program designed for high school students who completed 9th, 10th, or 11th grade during the 2008-2009 academic year, respectively. This intensive career development program will focus on two key stages of career development; career assessment and career exploration. Activities will include interactive workshops, exploration of careers and nontraditional workplaces, and leadership skill-building. In addition, participants will meet other students from throughout the state, participate in team-building exercises, social/cultural enrichment activities and develop a social action project entitled, Step Up! a call to action to address inequities within our schools and/or community.
STEP-UP! PROJECT:
With the guidance of the NCRC staff, all participants will begin to develop a Step Up! project, which will be entirely created by the participant and customized for mplementation at their respective school. The project will focus on issues of equity, such as but not limited to encouraging peers to consider nontraditional careers, or supporting/encouraging peers of historically underrepresented groups to select challenging Math and Science courses. Participants can create newsletters, blogs, clubs, panels etc. to address issues. Additionally, all accepted participants are required to secure a project mentor preferably a school representative to assist in supporting their efforts in implementing the Step Up! project.
Tentative career exploration activities include in-demand careers in:
• Science and Technology
• Healthcare
• Engineering and Mathematics
• Education
• Building Trades
• Much, much more!!!
There has been a steep decline in women's participation in undergraduate computer science. In 1984, women earned 37 percent of undergraduate computer science degrees. In 1999, women earned less than 20 percent of computer science degrees. (Thom, M. 2001. Balancing the Equation. National Council for Research on Women.)