Rosie the Riveter is still alive and well in the modern world. The iconic poster and theme, “We can do it!” is alive and well in Vermont. There, the organization called Rosie’s Girls works to help girls develop and interest in areas that are normally dominated by men. According to their website, “Rosie’s Girls® is a one-week summer day camp that helps girls develop grit, connection and expanded possibilities as they explore hands-on STEM- and trades-related activities. Girls entering 6, 7 and 8th grades practice carpentry and engineering skills as they invent, design and build cooperative projects.” The environment is meant to be “safe, supportive, girl-centered…and emphasize friendship, teamwork and healthy body image…A place where girls can get their hands dirty, take positive risks and try something new.”

In addition to emphasizing STEM work, Rosie’s Girls also puts a special focus on two skills that girls are not normally thought of possessing, welding and carpentry. Rosie’s Girls Weld is a special class that aims to “help [girls] explore what the mysterious world of welding has to offer…[in] an exciting one-week welding day camp for campers entering 6, 7, and 8th grades. Campers learn the art of welding and engineering as they design and build individual and team-oriented projects.” Rosie’s Girls Build is a similar one week day camp but focuses on carpentry and the ways carpentry skills can also help girls “develop problem solving and critical thinking skills” The camp is open to girls “entering 6, 7 and 8th grades [who will] learn how to use carpentry tools as they design and build individual and cooperative projects.”

The program has had over 2,500 girls participate in one of 20 different licensed sites across the nation. Rosie’s Girls chapters are available in Vermont, Rhode Island, Ohio, Minnesota and California, and the program is always looking for new communities to join in. One can only assume that the original Rosie would be proud to see her legacy being upheld through a program aimed at empowering the next generation of girls who really “can do it!”