Women of Toledo | Girls Hub

Young Women of Toledo Summer Program

Girls Hub is a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) summer program/activity for girls and young women ages 12 to 17 that offered workspace in trades and construction, through classes in woodworking, architecture, and art.

Class 2024 Open Enrollment

Five-session, one-week-long summer program.

Teaching girls, and young women how to use tools.

Build real-world projects and make connections.

Meet our Girls Hub Instructors & Task Team

Penny Tullis Meeker

Program Associate

Julia Darrah

Woodworking Instructor

Johanna "Jo" Ross

Art Instructor

Dr. Brenda Holsey

Youth Mentor

Meet our Program Partners

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Meet our Girls Hub Mentor Network

Learn about our 2022 Fearless Builders + Project

In 2022, our Summer program had over 12+ girls and young women be a part of our 'Seat at the Table' project. Our Builders had the opportunity to learn and hone creative and vocational STEAM skills with support from local STEM groups, Mentors, Women in Construction, Manufacturing, Engineering, Arts, and women’s Architects. Integrating Mentor’s technical skills and support, we believe Girls Hub helps equip our Builders with the empowerment and tools to build the space they want to see.

Class 2023 & Chairs For Charity

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Photographs were taken by Carla Thomas CYTImages

Class 2022

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Photographs were taken by J. Bak Studios.

Project Overview:

Your seat is your identity and what you care about. The table is where decisions are made. During each week in the month of June of 2022, we had a group of girls and young women 'builders' meet in person for hands-on training on how to use bigger power tools, such as the miter saw and band saw, with proper safety and guidance, to create their chair project. We also integrated activities and discussions about female leadership, confidence, STEAM careers, fear, bravery, and how to support each other as girls and women.

Materials + Tools We Used:

A handsaw, wood glue, sanding sponge, hammer, nails, drill, impact driver, screws, plywood, and redwood dimensional lumber.

Why is Girls Hub important?

According to census.gov (2021), Women are nearly half of the United States workforce but only 27% of STEAM workers and 10.3% of construction jobs are held by women.

About Our Workshop Space

Women of Toledo is located on the 3rd Floor of the historic Secor Building in the heart of Downtown Toledo. A former school space for the Horizon Science Academy, we took over the space in 2017. Since then, with the support from the Secor building management, Zaleski Development we have been patching and painting the walls, refinishing the floor, built out four different spaces which include:

Offices for our Women of Toledo staff, interns, fellows, and volunteers to utilize.

A meeting room with a projector, whiteboards, and seats up to 18 people depending on the activity.

A classroom equipped with wheeled tables and chairs. That can seat up to 24 people.

An open 1500-square-foot common space dedicated to woodworking and carpentry area.

What to expect during these programs:

Builders must commit to attending all 5 sessions for the week they register for the program. These sessions are held Monday through Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. *Subject to change

We will be using a speed square and a tape measure to layout and mark the pieces, a handsaw, and clamps to cut each piece to fit our design, and a drill, a driver, bits, and screws to attach the legs, and seat, back, and braces. Everyone designed their chair with elements that expressed their personalities and stories. Customization included painting, upholstery, mosaic, textiles, and more!