A superhero-themed summer camp inspiring girls to become the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow, through design thinking.
The camp recently ran from July 30 - Aug 3, 2018 at Stanford University. Details about our 2019 program (to take place in July 2019) will be released soon.
We believe that every girl has the potential to become a leader and create her own impact—she just needs the right tools and inspiration.
In between maker games, team activities, relay races, dance breaks, and fountain-hopping around the beautiful Stanford University campus, Girl Possible (GP) ignites life-changing moments for girls to discover their leadership potential, build creative confidence, and explore ways they can make a real difference in the world, starting today.
In today's world, "growing up" isn't as simple as it used to be, and comes with an added set of challenges for girls. We see these challenges as opportunities for girls to really stand up, use their voice, become even stronger leaders, and make the world a better place.
Our Girls Driving for a Difference team brings years of firsthand experience working with girls and teaching design thinking and leadership workshops across the country. We have fun and connect with girls in a big-sister way, get real with them about the challenges they face at school and on a personal level, and most of all, inspire them to tap into the most confident and passionate versions of themselves. Girl Possible (GP) is our way of bringing together everything we've learned into one amazing week for girls in the Bay Area.
Regular camp hours are 9am - 3:30pm, with an optional special camp bonding night on Thursday.
Welcome to camp! After warm-up games, orientation, and counselor/camper intros, we'll show girls that our Camp Clubhouse is really our canvas—we can make it whatever we want! We'll bring out the ribbons, paint, cardboard, and pillows, and have fun physically decorating our camp and making it our own. After lunch, we'll switch gears and introduce what it means to create social change through design thinking, and to be a young female leader in today's world. We'll end the day by building our own unicorn ice-cream sundaes.
Girls can do anything—and Tuesday is about helping girls realize this, as they practice new skills and step outside their comfort zones. We're bringing in a group of fearless female leaders to teach girls everything from self-defense to coding and arduino. Come play! Girls will end the day with their own mission statement for improving the world—an inspirational statement that brings together their strengths with an area of change they're passionate to engage in.
The best way to learn how to do design thinking and make a difference in the world, is to actually do it! We've partnered with an incredible mission-driven organization, who will come into camp and surprise girls with a real world design challenge. We'll break into teams, brainstorm creative ideas, and build prototypes of our favorite solutions. We'll wrap the day with popsicles and fountain-hopping around campus.
Now that we've started coming up with inspiring ideas for improving the world, it's time to start feeling like we have what it takes to become a leader and bring that change to life. Thursday is about discovering our superpowers, creating vision boards that celebrate who we are and the future we want to see, and getting real about our hopes, fears, and dreams.
For girls that can stay later, we'll be hosting a fun and special bonding night. Over dinner and s'mores, we'll do "spotlights," where girls and counselors can choose to share their story with the rest of camp. At the end, counselors might even perform a few silly skits. We'll wrap up around 7pm.
Time flies when you're having fun. In teams, girls will present their prototypes and ideas to our partner organization, and then set up a mini science fair for parents and families to join us in the clubhouse and see what we've created. Come party with us at 1pm to celebrate the last day of camp over food, drinks, and music. We'll share our stories and learnings, sign each-other's camp t-shirts, and play our camp photo slideshow to reminisce on all our favorite moments from the week.
Jenna grew up as a craft-loving, baton-twirling bookworm in Long Beach. She first tried design thinking through Stanford's Design for America team and was immediately hooked. Jenna can't wait to get girls making and see what ideas they build at GP.
Superpowers: Curiosity, Empathy, Tenacity, Design Research
Outside of GDD: Jenna works at Amazon in Seattle.
Katie grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley, went to a progressive all-girls school for 7 years, and is happiest working at the intersection of design, leadership, & girl power. At GP, she's excited to boost girls' confidence and ignite their passions for changing the world.
Superpowers: Writing, Optimism, Confidence, Hand-standing
Outside of GDD: Katie works at IDEO in Palo Alto.
Natalya hails from Minnesota, and in middle school, was involved in band (clarinet!), golf, theater and volunteer clubs. Natalya is looking forward to helping girls adopt a “learn by doing” attitude at GP, and gain a better understanding of their self-identity.
Superpowers: Teaching, Improv, Doing Minion Voices, Inspiring Others
Outside of GDD: Natalya works at BlackRock in San Francisco.
Rachel recently followed her childhood dream to live in New York City, where she uses design to empower people to do their most out-of-the-box work. At GP, Rachel's excited to help girls strengthen their “I can” mindset and make their dreams a reality.
Superpowers: Organization, Ideation, Focus, Finding Yummy Food
Outside of GDD: Rachel works at SAP in NYC.
Early bird registration costs $300 if you register before May 15, 2018. (Limited spots available!) Regular registration is $350. If this cost could prevent your child from attending camp, please apply for a scholarship by June 30th, 2018.
GP will be held at Stanford University campus, at the Old Union Clubhouse. The best way to drop off / pick up your child is to park at Tresidder Union, which is a 5min walk from our camp site. There will be signs and counselors to guide you!
Camp hours are 9am-3:30pm, except on Thursday, where we'll be hosting a special camp bonding night until 7pm (dinner included). In general, we recommend dropping your child off between 8:45am-9am so that she has a few minutes to settle in and hang out with her friends before we kick off promptly at 9am. Campers can be picked up anytime between 3:15-4pm.
You can drop your child off as early as 8am. We will not have any planned activities from 8am-9am, but there will be books and other creative supplies available. Late pickup is also possible, with extended hours running from 4-5pm.
We will provide snacks and drinks throughout the day. Please provide your child with a packed lunch.
Yes! We're excited to be hiring a small team of Junior Counselors (girls ages 16+) to create a diverse and cohesive staff that is the heart, soul, and motor of Camp Girl Possible. If you are interested in inspiring and working 1:1 with young girls, growing as a leader, role model, and mentor, and making a real impact this summer in a fast-paced, creative, and fun environment, then Camp Girl Possible might be perfect for you.
Apply today! The final deadline to apply is May 25th, 2018, and interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Questions? Contact Konner Brewer at konnerab@stanford.edu.
Our camp is specifically geared toward participants who identify as girls. However, any child is welcome to attend.
The activities and content of Girl Possible are best suited for girls who are at least 11 years old. (We’d love for younger girls to attend in future years!). Girls older than 15 can apply to become Junior Counselors.
Participants must be able to attend at least 3 of the 5 days, in a row. We do not prorate the cost of camp.
Registration can be canceled before June 30, 2018 for a full refund. Cancellations after that point will not be refunded.
Yes! Our camp is all about helping girls discover their leadership potential—and many girls will be doing this for the first time. We will all be growing together.
Please contact us directly to make us aware of your needs, and we will work together to make camp fun, safe, and comfortable for your child.
Registration will officially close on July 20, 2018, but spots are limited. Once registration is filled, we will open a waitlist.
For any other questions, contact our team at hello@girlsdrivingforadifference.com.
