HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — The North Alabama Homebuilding Academy is partnering with Girls Inc. of Huntsville for the third year to offer a unique summer camp experience for underserved teen girls. For four days, participants in Girls Inc.’s Eureka Program will visit the Academy to learn about various career opportunities in the Construction Industry from local female business leaders and home builders.
Camper Zariah Sweatt-Johnson said this is what it really feels like to start with the raw materials and put something together all the way through to completion. "Like the dog houses in the bird houses we build, it's like, really fun. It's awesome, like, when you first see it, it's like a bunch of, like scraps and just pieces. But then when you put it back together, you get to see like the accomplishment."
Ruth Hare agrees. "Yeah, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this, but when I started, I really love it."
Girls Incorporated Executive Director Stephanie Malone explained that this is the third year Girls Inc. has partnered with the North Alabama Homebuilding Academy. The focus this year? Architecture. "They have been over here constructing dog houses that they will donate to a local shelter, and in previous years, we've constructed little libraries and then we've also done birdhouses.
The girls get hands on experience working with power tools while also learning about the industry. "Our mission at Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold, and one of the ways that we do that is that we expose them to nontraditional careers for females, and we let them know, just as has been stated before, that nothing is off limits for them. They have the power and the ability to be able to achieve whatever they want to achieve, and no career path should be off limits for females," Malone explained.