Project: Young Women's Technology Cluster
Year of Inception: 2001

In 2001, Three Guineas Fund introduced a youth component to its major operating project, the Women’s Technology Cluster.  This program, the YWTC (Young Women's Technology Cluster) was designed to improve and expand the recruitment and retention of girls in technology fields by providing high school girls from San Francisco with real work experiences in WTC companies.  Partnering with the San Francisco Unified School District and local non-profit organizations, the YWTC helped to train the next generation of female technology users and leaders.

There were six interns in the pilot YWTC year.  Participants entered the program demonstrating a wide range of technology skill and interest levels.  All were girls of color, and juniors and seniors in San Francisco's public high schools.  Interns became employees of the Fund, completing work assignments for the WTC, Three Guineas, and WTC companies.  Working alongside women entrepreneurs, YWTC interns acquired highly marketable technology skills; each intern became proficient in HTML, Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Adobe Illustrator.  They developed design and branding skills, experienced work in web-based companies, and received career and academic counseling from YWTC staff.

View a sampling of YWTC Interns’ skills by visiting their websites:

• Montshona: www.geocities.com/hotmomma177
• Chloe: www.geocities.com/babygu127
• Angelica: www.geocities.com/angelica_415er

In early 2001, the market for technology start-up’s changed significantly.  As WTC companies downsized and tightened their belts to lower their burn rates, it became increasingly difficult to provide quality work experiences for YWTC interns.  The YWTC Director, Carol R. Hill, conducted an assessment of WTC companies’ capacity to host interns and found that there were simply insufficient work opportunities for the young women.  As the internship represents the cornerstone of the YWTC program, the 3GF Board of Directors made the very difficult decision to close down the Young Women's Technology Cluster as of December 31, 2001.

The Young Women's Technology Cluster was a collaborative model. With experienced partners such as Design Your Future, SFUSD and Girlsource, and experienced instructors including Shelwyn Corrigan and Vanessa Caveney, the YWTC provided the young women in the program with marketable technical skills and valuable work experience.

The YWTC was generously supported by the Herbst Foundation, the Susie Tompkins Buell Foundation and the Three Guineas Fund.