Forget horseback riding, canoeing, and three-legged races.
This summer, girls are packing up for camp to learn the fundamentals of Web design, animation, and how to develop their own business plans.
"Every summer we try to do different things to get more girls (involved)," said Nikki Williams, the director of special projects at American Computer Experience, which hosts computer camps at over 80 universities worldwide.
And while the number of girls attending ACE camps increases each year, the percentage of girls attending these coed camps has hovered around only 10 to 15 percent.
This year, a grant from the Garnett Foundation will allow ACE to set up eight girls-only computer camps around the country. Three hundred girls will attend the week-long camp for free -- a stay that normally costs up to $895.
"My personal goal is to build awareness of the under-representation of women in the computer science field," said Katrina Garnett, CEO of CrossWorlds Software and founder of the Garnett Foundation. "These girls are clearly talented, (but) they are not aware of the opportunities in this field."
The girls, ages 13 to 17, will learn how to use basic applications like Microsoft Word and Excel, and HTML; design their own Web pages; and experiment with animation and video editing. They also can kickbox and practice yoga.
"The biggest opportunity will be to speak to women in the industry," ACE's Williams said. The girls will be able to "rely on them as mentors, and they can show (the girls) that there are opportunities for women in the computer industry."
The grant focuses on lower-income girls who may not have computers at home, or are unable to afford the camp. Girls who participate in the Girl Scouts, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, and the Boys & Girls Clubs are encouraged to apply.
Other camps around the country also are targeting young women.
At the C3 Computer Camp at the University of Minnesota, girls in the fifth grade and up use the LEGO/Logo programming language, which links the popular LEGO construction kit with the Logo programming language to build machines out of bricks and program them. Older girls use Microworlds, a multimedia program that allows kids to draw, add music to their own animation, and lets advanced students design their own games.
At the Design and Build session for seventh- and eighth-grade girls, students make 3-D models on the computer and use fractals to design their own T-shirts.
Grades eight through 10 learn about medical imaging.
Tuition is $250 per week for all levels, with some sessions running for two weeks.
"Some of the girls who come to this camp have never used email," said Susan Marino, director of the Program for Women in IT at the university, who runs the camp. "We introduce them to engineering and science, but we don't force it on them."
And judging by the number of girls who return since the camp began five years ago -- Marino estimates that 65 percent come back for at least another year -- they enjoy what they are learning.
Girls over 13 who have attended C3 twice are eligible to be peer mentors, and are paid $125 per week.
"The girls do a much better job of teaching the other girls," Marino said. "They all work so beautifully together."
Camp Start-Up has four sessions around the country, and instructs teen-age girls on developing business plans. The girls work in teams of five or six, and each girl takes on a different role, such as CEO, director of operations, finance, or marketing. The girls present their plans at the end of the two-week session.
"The mission of the organization is to provide girls with economic empowerment programs," said camp director Valjeanne Estes.
The girls take field trips to women-owned businesses, and counselors are typically recent MBA graduates. The camp is a pricey $1,600, but about half the girls receive scholarships through sponsors like the Girl Scouts, YWCA, or the National Association of Women Business Owners.
Supporters of the camps hope they will give girls exposure to the computer science and business industries, and a chance to see the opportunities available to them.
"You hate to see a brain go to waste," Garnett said.
