About
Girls Garage After-School Program offers classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art. The program is part of Girls Garage, a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth. Participants work with tools and building techniques as part of a broader focus on design and construction projects.
• Ages: 9–18 years old
• Price: 100% teen students attending at no cost
Girls Garage was established in 2013 and is the first-ever design and building workshop for female-identifying youth in the United States. Since 2013, more than 1,000 youth participants have completed 207 projects through Girls Garage programs. The organization’s leadership includes Founder Emily Pilloton-Lam. Skilled female and gender-expansive instructors at Girls Garage have decades of educational and building experience.
Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9–18, and its mission is to support and equip a community of fearless youth who are building the world they want to see through classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art. Girls Garage sits on xučyun (Huichin), the ancestral and unceded land of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe and Chochenyo-speaking people. Girls Garage has been featured on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Magazine, and TIME Magazine.
One teen, Erica, 17 years old, shared that free tuition at Girls Garage removed financial barriers, allowed her to attend with friends, and led her to discover a love for engineering and design that she plans to pursue in college and as a career. Another teen, Vivian, 17 years old, described enjoying helping the community and forming bonds with other girls and non-binary people. A mother-daughter pair, Melissa and Ayla, said it was a bonding experience to build a toolbox together and that learning skills in the company of other women was crucial to feeling comfortable in their workspace. Izzy said she learned about building, designing, and being a woman, and that she made friends and felt confident and comfortable in what she described as a safe and empowering space. Aisha, 16 years old, said that when she arrived at her first Protest and Print class, she was met with open arms and found a sense of belonging, and that creating her first piece was the start of making sure her voice was heard. Sarah, 16 years old, described the environment as collaborative, supportive, loving, nonjudgmental, and non-cliquey, and said the week was eye-opening and life-changing, teaching her skills and boosting her confidence while making her feel comfortable speaking her mind and being herself.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Ages: 9–18 years old
• Price: 100% teen students attending at no cost
Girls Garage was established in 2013 and is the first-ever design and building workshop for female-identifying youth in the United States. Since 2013, more than 1,000 youth participants have completed 207 projects through Girls Garage programs. The organization’s leadership includes Founder Emily Pilloton-Lam. Skilled female and gender-expansive instructors at Girls Garage have decades of educational and building experience.
Girls Garage is a nonprofit design and construction school for girls and gender-expansive youth ages 9–18, and its mission is to support and equip a community of fearless youth who are building the world they want to see through classes in carpentry, welding, architecture, and activist art. Girls Garage sits on xučyun (Huichin), the ancestral and unceded land of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe and Chochenyo-speaking people. Girls Garage has been featured on The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Magazine, and TIME Magazine.
One teen, Erica, 17 years old, shared that free tuition at Girls Garage removed financial barriers, allowed her to attend with friends, and led her to discover a love for engineering and design that she plans to pursue in college and as a career. Another teen, Vivian, 17 years old, described enjoying helping the community and forming bonds with other girls and non-binary people. A mother-daughter pair, Melissa and Ayla, said it was a bonding experience to build a toolbox together and that learning skills in the company of other women was crucial to feeling comfortable in their workspace. Izzy said she learned about building, designing, and being a woman, and that she made friends and felt confident and comfortable in what she described as a safe and empowering space. Aisha, 16 years old, said that when she arrived at her first Protest and Print class, she was met with open arms and found a sense of belonging, and that creating her first piece was the start of making sure her voice was heard. Sarah, 16 years old, described the environment as collaborative, supportive, loving, nonjudgmental, and non-cliquey, and said the week was eye-opening and life-changing, teaching her skills and boosting her confidence while making her feel comfortable speaking her mind and being herself.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.