It was showcase day at Tom Green Elementary. Twenty girls stood up to show their parents what they had been working on. Cars zoomed across the floor, paper rockets soared into the air and birthday cards lit up with the touch of a button.  Parents eyes lit up as their girls explained the scientific forces behind the magic.

This was the semester finale of the Girlstart After School program. Each week, the girls learned about a new STEM career and completed an accompanying experiment. Girlstart After School reaches more than 2,700 4th-5th grade girls with free STEM education programs at 87 high-need schools.

Research shows that Girlstart After School participants consistently and dramatically outperform their peers on standardized math and science tests. But it also has an immeasurable impact on the girls.

“It’s like night and day, their personalities in my classroom and in Girlstart,” said Wendy Carrillo, a Girlstart leader at Wooten Elementary. “Girlstart makes the girls so enthusiastic and outgoing.”

Parents see the program influence their daughters beyond the classroom.

“My daughter is very energetic and much more hands on now,” said Virginia, a Girlstart parent at Tom Green Elementary. “She’s always asking how things are made and suggesting ideas.”

Since the program is free, it gives girls from all different backgrounds an opportunity to see themselves as scientists and engineers.

That’s where The Empowerment Campaign comes in. The program grows and flourishes because of people like you. People who want to see more women rise into STEM careers and want to see more female leaders emerge. The influence starts in elementary school, and grows from there. So when you buy an Empowerment Tee, you’re not only providing a girl with a year’s worth of STEM supplies, you’re also giving her the resources to image a better future for herself. You can purchase a shirt here.

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