Technology Takes Center Stage At Girl's Summer Camp In Philly
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A local non-profit has just wrapped a weeklong summer camp that exposed a group of middle school girls to the world of technology.
At Drexel University's Excite Center, small groups of girls, ages 11-15, practiced the pitch they'll make for the apps they've been working on.
Eleven-year-old Samyyah Muhammed and her new friends developed the 'Hazard Protector:'
"If you think you're being followed you can press a button that says that and it'll send it to your emergency contact. It also has a flashlight, a siren, you can share your location."
The product pitch to a panel of business leaders and entrepreneurs was the culmination of a week that included lessons in marketing, creating prototypes, collaboration and teamwork.
Tracy Welson Rossman, founder of TechGirlz, organized this girls-only camp in hopes of spurring interest in entering a world currently dominated by males:
"We're not trying to create eleven-year-old prodigies, we're trying to create girls who become women who understand that they can be part of the innovation economy."