There’s no denying the huge gender imbalance of students that traditionally go on to take up STEM subjects, particularly electronics and engineering. Joselyn McDonald and Nicole Messier met up at Parsons School of Design in the US where they were studying wearable technology and creative circuits. They were so impressed with the possibilities of the technology it became their mission to produce learning kits to introduce the subject to young girls. They began by hosting blink blink workshops and after school programs in middle and high schools where girls created sculptures embedded with circuits, made paintings lit with LEDs and crafted fashion technology. They knew they were doing something right when girls were interacting and building circuits for the first time.

The circuit kits they have designed provide all the necessary materials to engineer arts, crafts and fashion projects embedded with circuits and simple electronics, specifically focusing on the interests of young girls. The ‘Possibilities Kit’ comes with a creative circuit booklet, soft-circuit materials (conductive fabrics, conductive thread) and traditional electronics (LEDs, batteries and alligator clips).

The team have also set out to build a welcoming culture for girls in technology by co-designing the blink blink experience with girls ages 8-18 and showcasing awesome women in tech and creative fields on their on-line platform. The blink blink system has been launched on Kickstarter and is getting close to its target.