The third annual Girls’ Festival will bring more than 3,000 people to Santa Clara on Oct. 6, for all-day programming, workshops, and performances to inspire the next generation of women.
The ambitious festival features more than 40 women’s organizations and is organized by WorldWideWomen Foundation, the nonprofit arm of an international resource network.
Maureen Broderick, founder of WorldWideWomen, said the event hopes to hit a “sweet spot” of girls and women between the ages of 8 and 18 by inviting almost 1,000 low-income attendees for free and hosting diverse programming.
Workshops range from information about human trafficking to lessons in advocacy and leadership, Broderick said, and dozens of South Bay companies have teamed up with the festival for classes and tutorials.,
Gilead Sciences, Cisco Systems, Helix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and NetApp are among the corporate sponsors and Broderick said Apple is offering three of its shuttle buses to transport low-income attendees to and from the festival.
The jam-packed lineup hopes to enthuse and engage visitors in a time when women’s issues may seem particularly fraught, Broderick said.
“I feel horrible every day when I turn on the TV,” she said, “But nobody is taking a look behind the scenes at all the amazing grassroots organizations that are passionately working to change the game for women and girls, not only here in the Bay Area, but all around the world.”
Girls and their families will be bused from Marin County, Alameda, Vallejo, Salinas, Monterey, Oakland, and Palo Alto, among others, and be treated to hands-on activities with Girl Scouts, the Lace Museum, the Tech Museum and more.
“We should keep in mind, it’s not all bad news,” Broderick said.
“There’s still a heck of a lot of things going on to improve our lives.”
The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6 at Santa Clara University and tickets are $10 for anyone over the age of seven.
Parking at the university will be closed and shuttles will run back and forth every ten minutes to parking at Nvidia headquarters at 2788 San Tomas Expressway at Walsh Avenue.
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