Building Opportunities For Girls

Bent over a workstation, Leo Zerbe is deep in concentration. The 14-year-old from Pequea is building a one-of-a-kind robot lamp, complete with working electrical parts and custom carpentry. "I really liked learning to solder," Leo said. "It's been a lot of fun."

Leo was one of 17 girls who participated in All 'bout Construction Girls Camp, held at ABC Keystone in Manheim. The June camp, for girls ages 14 to 19, offered hands-on opportunities to learn about the construction industry.

This is the second year for the camp, which provides individualized instruction as well as group field trips. "We're always striving to increase diversity in our industry," said Stephanie Larkin, vice president of education, safety and workforce development for ABC Keystone. "We wanted to give girls a chance to see what the construction industry is all about."

During the week, the campers created projects under the instruction of ABC's director of plumbing as well as HVAC, electrical and carpentry instructors. They were assisted by volunteers from ABC Keystone's apprenticeship program, all of whom were female.

"It's been really nice to help out with the camp and teach the girls a little bit of everything," said Priscilla Milanes, who is entering her third year as a carpentry apprentice. "I'm even learning new things. I wish they had this camp when I was in high school."

The campers went on three field trips during the week, where they had the opportunity to see various stages of construction projects. They visited Manheim Central High School, where they saw the beginning of a project, a senior living center in York where work was well underway and a health care facility in Lancaster that was nearing completion. ABC Keystone worked with The Farfield Company, Wohlsen Construction and Warfel Construction in arranging the field trips.

On the last day of the camp, the girls attended two discussion programs. The first focused on "Women in the Industry: Perception vs. Reality." "For the second discussion, we had a panel of three women who all have a managerial background," Larkin stated. "Not all of construction is technical and hands-on, although that's a big part of it, but there are other professionals in the industry who provide support, and we wanted to showcase that."

The camp was free to attend, with funding provided by a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. At the end of the week, campers were sent home with a camp T-shirt; personal protective equipment, including a hard hat, safety glasses and ear protection; and a toolkit full of tools to use on their own. They also left with a new appreciation for the construction industry, said camper Naomi Showalter.

"My CTC teacher suggested I try this camp," she remarked. "It's been really fun to try everything." She noted that she came to the camp excited to do carpentry work but found that she also enjoyed other aspects of the program. "You get a chance to try new things you haven't tried before," she stated, "and you might find you really like it."

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