‘We can create whatever we want to’ | Girls-only club breaking boundaries for East Tenn. girls

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (WVLT) - A girls-only summer camp in Morristown is reminding the next generation of women that the opportunities are endless. Girls Inc. opened a new space for their summer camps.

Girls Inc. is a non-profit dedicated to changing the barriers society has placed on young women. What started as a dream of a space where girls can learn to be creative and make things themselves using tools, was made possible with the Makerspace.

Donated by Howmet Aerospace in Morristown, the Makerspace teaches girls to use their hands on drills, hammers, saws and other machines such as a 3-D printer.

“We can create whatever we want to, and I want them to take ‘We can create whatever we want,’ to the real world and outside of Girls Inc. and let them know they can create whatever they want to,” said Chloe Ward, the Makerspace Creator.

The Girls Inc. summer camps are every year for six weeks out of the summer. Every day is a different activity, and one camper said it has helped her come out of her shell.

“I definitely feel like I opened up to people. I’m not a very talkative person when it comes to new people, but I feel like it’s forced me to open up,” said Chloe, a third-year Girls Inc. camper.

A study shows at a certain age young girls begin to disassociate being smart with being pretty and start believing that they cannot be both. Girls Inc. plans to change that, and the Makerspace is just one way they’re doing it.

“You have the typical stereotypes. Everyone’s like, ‘Well a woman’s job.’ I want them to defeat all odds at that. I want them to be like, ‘I can use a drill. I can use a screwdriver. I can use a hammer, and I can do a dang good job,’” said Ward.

Parents can still sign their children up for the Girls Inc. summer camps across East Tennessee. Anyone interested in more information can visit the Girls Inc. website.

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