And the environmental movement needs women's fresh perspectives!
To give girls a jumpstart on environmentally friendly careers, the "Green Jobs for Girls in the Future" program at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, and will encourage young women to take classes in science, technology, engineering and math to help prepare them for future careers.
"This is an opportunity for young girls to learn about something new, to try something different," said community representative Sarah Townsend. "They need to understand, you need to work hard and you need a lot of encouragement."
More than 200 students in grades 6-8 are expected to attend the event"The whole point is to encourage and enable girls to go into career areas of math and science," said Wendy Tuck, executive director of the Volunteer Action Center. "We also want them to think about jobs that can support them and their families."
The day-long event is scheduled for Oct. 16, 2009 at West Virginia University at Parkersburg and will feature about 20 career stations that will explore different ecologically friendly jobs and the math and science required for them.
The 15-20 speakers will be community volunteers, professionals and role-models who will explain their professions and the steps necessary to succeed in those fields.
The program will be funded through a $7,000 grant from the American Association of University Women and will be supplemented by funds from WVU-P, the Volunteer Action Center and Wood County Schools. The total cost of the "Green Jobs for Girls in the Future" will be about $19,000. "That money mostly will pay for transportation, food and material costs," Tuck said.
For more information on the "Green Jobs for Girls in the Future" career day, contact the Volunteer Action Center at (304) 424-3457.