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Watch the video below to see and hear what Rosie's Girls is all about!

The Rosie’s Girls Summer Program® is a three week camp for early adolescent girls that encourages participants to develop and strengthen their capacities and confidence and helps them expand their perception of the range of educational and career options that are attainable. Using a unique, holistic approach, Rosie’s Girls combines hands-on instruction in the skilled trades with a broad array of other activities explicitly designed to encourage girls to develop their own strength, power and confidence in an atmosphere that is fun, supportive, and positive.

The program gets its name from the fictional character “Rosie the Riveter” who symbolized the emerging strength and power of women who went to work in the defense plants while men were fighting World War II. Rosie has inspired generations of women to take the path less traveled and to do it with courage and conviction.

“You are INCREDIBLY POSITIVE AND POWERFUL people in my daughter’s life. After she leaves here today she will yearn to keep her connection with all of you because you have opened and nurtured a part of her spirit that family and parent don’t satisfy. This is about growing into community, developing her wings, and developing personal pride. Thank you!!” - 2007 parent

WHO CAN BE A ROSIE’S GIRL?

Participants are entering 6th-8th grades and range in age from 11-13 years.

WHAT HAPPENS AT ROSIE’S GIRLS?

The program runs Monday–Friday, 8:45 am–5:00 pm

Carpentry: The girls begin by learning basic skills such as hammering and sawing. The skills are applied in both take-home projects and in projects designed to meet an identified community need. For example, participants make and keep their own toolboxes and build a project as a group to donate to a local community service organization.

Other Trades: Rosie’s Girls programs expose participants to a variety of other trades fields which might include:

• welding
• basic bike repair
• basic auto repair
• electrical wiring
• interior painting
• fire fighting

Curious about middle school girls and welding? Watch this video by Eva Sollberger, made during the Rosie's Girls camp in Essex Junction in 2007.

Arts: The arts program includes activities designed to promote the girls’ individual self-expression through a variety of media, including: poetry, stand-up comedy, yoga, mask making, and collage making.

Physically challenging activities: Rosie’s Girls includes several activities designed to physically challenge girls to push beyond (both physically and mentally) their preconceived notions of what they can accomplish and to build group cohesion, trust and independence.

These activities can include:

• rock climbing at a local climbing facility
• ropes course (both high and low elements)
• self-defense
  
  A Girls’ World: These are activities designed to help girls understand – and respond to – the messages girls and women receive about how they should act, what they should look like and what they can become. Some examples include:

• Media Collage: An activity designed to help girls look critically at the portrayal of women in the media.
  
• Woman of the Day: Each girl prepares a short presentation about a famous, successful woman of interest to her.

Mentor Presentations: Women who have chosen nontraditional occupations speak about their careers and the challenges and opportunities they have faced.

Tuition is $725. Financial aid is available. 2009 Financial Aid Form (PDF format)

Have you been to Rosie's Girls in the past? We want to know what you think! Please take a moment to fill out a survey so we can learn all about you. It'll only take a few minutes of your time. Click here to take the survey.

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Central Vermont: Barre/Montpelier area

The 2009 program will take place at Spaulding High School/Barre Technical Center Campus. Click here for directions.

2009 Camp Dates: Monday July 20 - Friday August 9

Times: Monday–Friday, 8:45 am–5:00 pm

Tuition is $725. Financial aid is available.

2009 Application Form (PDF format)
2009 Financial Aid Form (PDF format)
Thank you to the The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust and National Life of Vermont
for their support!

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Rosie’s Girls Summer Program® is unique in the combination of activities it includes that are designed to expose girls to a variety of trades and technical fields, strengthen their own voices, build a sense of community and encourage participants to challenge the expectations our society has for girls and women. The program incorporates the following components:

TRADES
Participants are exposed to a range of skilled trades with carpentry as the core activity.

Carpentry
In the carpentry unit, girls learn basic skills such as hammering and sawing, and then progress to increasingly more difficult projects. Girls start by building toolboxes to hold the tools we give them, and the unit culminates in a collaborative community service project that will meet an identified community need. Carpentry runs throughout the three weeks of the program.

Other Trades
Additional trades blocks during the session introduce participants to the tools, methods, materials and safety techniques used in various other trades areas such as electrical wiring, welding, fire fighting, and bicycle and auto repair. These other trades units last from one to three days to balance young girls’ need for variety with our desire to give the girls adequate time to gain comfort with and mastery of trades skills.

Curious about middle school girls and welding? Watch this video by Eva Sollberger, made during the Rosie's Girls camp in Essex Junction in 2007.

ARTS
Daily arts activities further encourage participants to develop their own voices by exploring a range of activities designed to promote individual self-expression. Yoga and dance promote physical movement. Visual arts activities might include silk-screening camp t-shirts, casting plaster masks of each girl’s face or hand, and making collages to represent aspects of themselves. Other units might include poetry or creative writing, a drumming workshop, or stand-up comedy. In general, we hire outside consultants to lead the arts activities.

ROSIE’S GIRLS COMMUNITY
This unit contains activities that set the tone of the program and are key to its success by creating a sense of community and giving girls opportunities to think critically about the world around them. They fall into two general categories:

Creating Community
The curriculum includes a number of activities designed to create a sense of community for Rosie’s Girls participants in which girls take responsibility for themselves, each other and the space around them.

A Girl’s World
Activities that seek to help girls understand the subtle (and not-so subtle) messages that women and girls receive about how they should act, what they should look like, who they should please and what they can become – messages that can limit girls’ options, opportunities and attitudes. Additionally, in order to understand the significant -- and often overlooked – role that women have played in history, each girl prepares and presents a brief presentation about a famous woman in history.

GAMES AND INITIATIVES
A variety of activities are incorporated into the Rosie’s Girls day to help girls learn more effective communication skills and successful ways to work as a team (and have fun!).

PHYSICALLY  CHALLENGING ACTIVITIES
Physically challenging activities (such as a ropes course, rock climbing and self-defense) are designed to build participants’ self-confidence, group cohesion and to encourage girls to push past perceived personal limitations. These activities not only provide an opportunity to challenge girls’ fears, but also require the support of others to be successful both individually and as a group.

Have you been to Rosie's Girls in the past? We want to know what you think! Please take a moment to fill out a survey so we can learn all about you. It'll only take a few minutes of your time. Click here to take the survey.

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Essex Junction, VT

The 2009 camp will take place at the Center for Technology, Essex. Click here for directions.

2009 Camp Dates:
Monday June 22 - Friday July 10
(no camp July 4)

Times: Monday – Friday, 8:45 am– 5:00 pm

Tuition is $725. Financial aid is available.

2009 Application Form (PDF format)
2009 Financial Aid Form (PDF format)

Thank you to the Agnes M. Lindsay Trust for their support!

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Rosie’s Girls Summer Program® is unique in the combination of activities it includes that are designed to expose girls to a variety of trades and technical fields, strengthen their own voices, build a sense of community and encourage participants to challenge the expectations our society has for girls and women. The program incorporates the following components:

TRADES
Participants are exposed to a range of skilled trades with carpentry as the core activity.

Carpentry
In the carpentry unit, girls learn basic skills such as hammering and sawing, and then progress to increasingly more difficult projects. Girls start by building toolboxes to hold the tools we give them, and the unit culminates in a collaborative community service project that will meet an identified community need. Carpentry runs throughout the three weeks of the program.

Other Trades
Additional trades blocks during the session introduce participants to the tools, methods, materials and safety techniques used in various other trades areas such as electrical wiring, welding, fire fighting, and bicycle and auto repair. These other trades units last from one to three days to balance young girls’ need for variety with our desire to give the girls adequate time to gain comfort with and mastery of trades skills. 

Curious about middle school girls and welding? Watch this video by Eva Sollberger, made during the Rosie's Girls camp in Essex Junction in 2007.

ARTS
Daily arts activities further encourage participants to develop their own voices by exploring a range of activities designed to promote individual self-expression. Yoga and dance promote physical movement. Visual arts activities might include silk-screening camp t-shirts, casting plaster masks of each girl’s face or hand, and making collages to represent aspects of themselves. Other units might include poetry or creative writing, a drumming workshop, or stand-up comedy. In general, we hire outside consultants to lead the arts activities.

“We just wanted to say “thank you thank you thank you ” for such an amazing experience for [our daughter] this summer... Rosie’s Girls rocks! My father died the first week of the June program and things became chaotic but through it all, your program offered [our daughter] a chance to really focus and learn and grow and reach and we all appreciated her daily updates and enthusiasm and blossoming confidence and pride. She called my mom every day to share her new found gifts and discoveries and honestly, got her through a very tough period. Her grandmother even started sharing with other people [our daughter’s] experiences at Rosie’s Girls, her enthusiasm and energy were that contagious... [our daughter] will never forget her time with you all and we will always appreciate the opportunity given her to tap into such strength and creativity so safely, ~ thank you!! ” - 2007 parent

Creating Community
The curriculum includes a number of activities designed to create a sense of community for Rosie’s Girls participants in which girls take responsibility for themselves, each other and the space around them.

A Girl’s World
Activities that seek to help girls understand the subtle (and not-so subtle) messages that women and girls receive about how they should act, what they should look like, who they should please and what they can become – messages that can limit girls’ options, opportunities and attitudes. Additionally, in order to understand the significant -- and often overlooked – role that women have played in history, each girl prepares and presents a brief presentation about a famous woman in history.

GAMES AND INITIATIVES
A variety of activities are incorporated into the Rosie’s Girls day to help girls learn more effective communication skills and successful ways to work as a team (and have fun!).

PHYSICALLY  CHALLENGING ACTIVITIES
Physically challenging activities (such as a ropes course, rock climbing and self-defense) are designed to build participants’ self-confidence, group cohesion and to encourage girls to push past perceived personal limitations. These activities not only provide an opportunity to challenge girls’ fears, but also require the support of others to be successful both individually and as a group.

Have you been to Rosie's Girls in the past? We want to know what you think! Please take a moment to fill out a survey so we can learn all about you. It'll only take a few minutes of your time. Click here to take the survey.

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Other Locations

There are currently Rosie's Girl Programs planned or operating at the following locations.  Please contact us for specific information or to see how you can start a Rosie's Girls camp in your area.

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