TechGirls Connect Program for Women

TechGirls program helps to connect and also supports the next generation of women leaders in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics by providing them the right platform to pursue their dreams.

Since 2012, TechGirls program has trained and mentored over 183 teenage girls (ages 15-17) from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, and Yemen.

About the Program

The crust of the program is a three-week experience in the United States. Every year, the program seeks to include 24 young women from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).

TechGirls participate in interactive technology and computer camp (with US Girls), join a tech company for a day of job shadowing, and participate in community service initiatives.

There is a TechGirls multiplier effect – inspiring others in their local community to pursue Stem.

TechGirls program is packed with skill-development workshops and interactions with America’s most innovative tech professionals as well as 45 hours of study at a Tech Camp with our partner the Center for Enhancement in Engineering Diversity at Virginia Tech.

The TechGirls program offers a rich cultural immersion experience, improves the participants’ ability to enter tech fields, and encourages them to pursue higher education in fields where women are largely under-represented.

TechGirls is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ (ECA) mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations.

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Eligibility and Requirements

This program is open to all females in Tech. Exchange activities include a technology camp with American peers, site visits in Washington, D.C., and Blacksburg, VA, leadership workshops, community service opportunities, a day of job shadowing, and a weekend homestay with American families.

Participants will create action plans for community-based projects to implement upon their return to their home communities.

Through interactive activities, participants will work towards the development of a tangible product(s) that they may design together in small teams or individually, depending on participant interests and preferences.

The camp will be complemented by additional activities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and Southwest Virginia, such as mentoring experiences, job shadowing, site visits to technology companies, community service activities, cultural and recreational activities, and a weekend homestay.

The program will conclude with a visit to the State Department to allow participants to debrief State representatives on their exchange experiences and individual or team projects.

The program is administered by Legacy International.

To apply for this program you must:

Be Female, between the ages of 15 and 17;
Have advanced skills and a serious interest in technology, engineering, and/or math in your academic studies;
Intend to pursue higher education and/or careers in technology;
Have strong English language skills;
Exhibit maturity, flexibility, and open-mindedness;
Have at least one additional semester of secondary school upon your return to Lebanon; and
Be willing to complete a follow-on project upon their return home.

Application Instructions

Please fill out the Word document application form (145 KB) or PDF document application form (413 KB) as completely as possible – Application form and references should be typed. The information you feed in this application will provide the basis for selecting semi-finalists for this program. Answer the questions carefully and completely.

E-mail the application to BeruitPD@state.gov with the subject line “2024 TechGirls Program” by March 4, 2024.