Girls Garage

Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9-18. Its offerings include Advanced Design/Build, Construction + Community, Protest + Print, Carpentry + Wood, the Young Women’s Design and Building Institute, Builder Bootcamp, and year-round Advanced Design/Build. The program schedule includes year-round instruction, three after-school sessions in fall, winter, and spring, six weeks of summer programs, and weekend workshops.

Programs

• After-School Program: Advanced Design/Build — 9th-12th grade · Mondays
• After-School Program: Construction + Community — 9th-12th grade · Tuesdays
• After-School Program: Protest + Print — 9th-12th grade · Wednesdays
• After-School Program: Carpentry + Wood — 9-14 years old · Thursdays · $300
• Summer Program: Young Women's Design and Building Institute — 9th-12th grade · Monday to Friday · $0
• Summer Program: Builder Bootcamp — 5th-8th grade · Monday to Friday (half days) · $500 · scholarships available
• Year-round Program: Advanced Design/Build — 9th-12th grade
• Adult Workshops — 18+
• Corporate Workshops

At a glance

• Ages: 9–18 years old
• Price range: $0–$500
• General schedule: Year-round instruction; three after-school sessions (fall, winter, spring), six weeks of summer programs, and weekend workshops.

About the provider

Girls Garage was established in 2013. One testimonial from founder Emily Pilloton-Lam says she wrote a book as an invitation for girls to put on their tool belts and build the world they want to see, and that she wants girls with big dreams, goals, and ideas to have access to the tools they need.

100% teen students attending at no cost. Some programs are no-cost; Builder Bootcamp is by application only; some programs are limited in cohort size.

What families say

““Girls Garage is a place of transformation. As I learned about power tools, I built a house, practiced leadership skills, and learned how to fear less and build more.”” — Ellah, 13 years old

““I wrote this book as an invitation for girls to put on their tool belts and build the world they want to see. And I mean that quite literally: I want girls, who have big dreams, goals, and ideas, to have zero barriers to access the tools they need to be successful. That tool might be a hammer, a little extra confidence to try something new, or the ability to see yourself in the world of STEM.”” — Emily Pilloton-Lam, Founder of Girls Garage

Last updated November 8, 2026.