Applications for our summer programs—Builder Bootcamp for 5th-8th graders and Young Women's Design and Building Institute for 9th-12 graders—are now open! Spend your summer with us as we build an exciting new project for Adventure Playground in the Berkeley Marina. Pay extra attention to application due dates as they vary!
“Working with these girls for a very long time has been amazing. I’ve know some for 5+ years and some for barely a week, but I feel like working on this huge project together has made us all even closer. One of my favorite things on the whole process was physically building the actual parklet with the other girls. It was so much fun to work together and hear everyone’s ideas and strategies. Another thing I really enjoyed was the woman from the landscaping architecture firm who talked to us about what they do and some of their advice on our parklet. It also gave me ideas of careers I might want to go into in the future.”
— Mikaela
“Girls Garage has opened up doors to so many different worlds that I would have not known existed if it wasn’t for this program. It shows every girl that they have in each of them a person who can do anything. They give you tools that can be used throughout your whole life along with an amazing community that cheers you on every step of the way.”
— Iris
“When I showed up for my first Protest and Print class, I wasn’t sure who I was, what I wanted to do, or why I joined. But I was met with open arms and surrounded by girls and instructors who showed me my purpose and gave me a sense of belonging. The creation of my first piece was just the beginning of my journey to making sure my voice was heard and representing those who were being misrepresented or not represented at all.”
— Aisha, 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
participating youth since 2013
projects completed since 2013
teen students attending at no cost
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.
"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