Fear Less. Build More.

Announcement

Winter 2025 class registration now open!

Registrations and applications for our Winter 2025 after-school programs are now open! All classes will be held in-person at our workspace in West Berkeley.

Register now

Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9-18. Through classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art, we support and equip a community of fearless youth who are building the world they want to see. Established 2013.

Speak up. Stand out. Make trouble.

 

See our programs →

Upcoming Sessions

Testimonials & Impact

“I really appreciate the environment you cultivated for us. It was very collaborative, supportive, loving, nonjudgemental, and non-cliquey... We all naturally were able to talk to one another and work together. I also really enjoyed the discussions and readings (more than I thought I would). Overall, this week has been eye-opening and life-changing because it has taught me really cool skills and boosted my confidence in myself tremendously. This group made me feel comfortable to speak my mind and just be myself.”

— Sarah, 16 years old

“If this place has taught me anything, it’s to be resilient and to be fearless. So I look forward to the next project. I look forward to the next commitment. I look forward to the next build. I look forward to being fearless.”

— Nautica, 15 years old

“When I'm here, I do all the things people tell me I can't.”

— Solyana, 15 years old

“The experience was so amazing for me because I got to show my work to school kids, teachers, and parents that use the classrooms and school space. I am so grateful that I got the experience to create a powerful symbol of hope and interconnectedness. I don’t think I could have gotten the same experience anywhere else, creating powerful artwork alongside girls my age, artwork with a social justice purpose.”

— Keiani
680

participating youth since 2013

190

projects completed since 2013

100%

teen students attending at no cost

Get the Girls Garage Book!

Girls Garage: How To Use Any Tool, Tackle Any Project, and Build The World You Want To See

Girls Garage is your can-do compendium of all things tools and building! Packed with over 175 illustrated tool guides, 11 how-to projects, 21 essential skills, and 15 profiles of awesome builder girls and women, Girls Garage will inspire you to fill up your toolbox and get building.

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"I wrote this book as an invitation for girls to put on their tool belts and build the world they want to see. And I mean that quite literally: I want girls, who have big dreams, goals, and ideas, to have zero barriers to access the tools they need to be successful. That tool might be a hammer, a little extra confidence to try something new, or the ability to see yourself in the world of STEM."

— Emily Pilloton-Lam, Founder of Girls Garage