Volunteers needed to inspire girls to become leaders in tech, startups

Published March 28, 2019 This content is archived.

Want to inspire girls to explore careers in computing, tech and entrepreneurship?

UB’s Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars is seeking volunteers for She Started IT, an upcoming event that gives 6th-to-10th-grade girls the chance to experience interactive demos and hear from women tech founders and professionals in Western New York.

The free public event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13 at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Central Library at 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo.

Lunch will be provided for attendees and volunteers.

Volunteer opportunities include:

  • General event volunteer (8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on April 13): Event volunteers will assist with registration, checking in attendees and answering their questions, helping the event facilitators, guiding girls as they transition between activities, helping volunteers who are hosting a demo table, and encouraging girls to engage with volunteers during interactive displays.
  • Tech industry facilitator (9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.): This volunteer opportunity is open to tech professionals, such as IT managers, developers, web designers, project managers and others in the industry. During lunch, facilitators will sit with a group of girls and lead a discussion about a video clip from the She Started IT documentary on women tech founders, as well as a presentation from earlier in the program. Volunteers will be provided with a facilitation guide, as well as an online Zoom call training in advance of the session. Following lunch, volunteers will accompany participants to hands-on demo tables and continue to answer questions. Volunteers will be assigned to work together in pairs.

Volunteers may register online.

She Started IT is a collaboration between UB’s Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars, ACV Auctions, Ingram Micro, the Allstate Foundation, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Driver Watchdog, The Foundry, Girl Scouts of WNY, Inspiring Future Engineers, LaunchTECH, the UB Office of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships, the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, WNY STEM and the WNY Women’s Foundation.