BlackGirlsCODE launches a digital technology workshop for young girls of color in the Big Apple

Sept. 14, 2012 - PRLog -- The final countdown begins for BlackGirlsCODE’s Summer of CODE campaign as they make their way to the Big Apple to launch their “Build A Webpage” one-day workshop on Saturday, September 15th, 2012 from 10am to 3pm at NYU. BlackGirlsCODE’s  www.indiegogo.com/BlackGirlsCode Summer of CODE campaign has already enrolled over 300 young girls of color aged 6-17 in one-day workshops and week long classes introducing the tech divas to computer programming, robotics, electrical engineering and other areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  This one-day workshop hopes to attract 50 girls from across the five boroughs in New York. To sign up for the event,  http://bgcnewyork.eventbrite.com/ click here.
During the “Build A Webpage” workshop girls will learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and basic web structure. BGC has partnered with Mozilla as a Summer CODE Party partner and will use Mozilla tools such as Hackasaurus and Thimble to introduce students to web-making. Volunteers from Thoughtworks, NYU and other organizations with a background in computer science and engineering will attend the workshop and assist girls as they learn the tools of basic web programming.
“Our objective is to provide our girls with the technical skills and inspiration to become technology leaders of tomorrow.”–  http://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlybryant
Kimberly Bryant, Founder of BlackGirlsCODE
Women currently make up half the college-educated workforce in the United States, but hold less than a quarter of professional or managerial roles in computer science, mathematics, engineering, and the life and physical sciences. In fact women's attainment of bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science has steadily decreased from a high of 27% of degrees awarded in 1984 to less than 18% of degree holders today. Among minorities, this disparity is even more pronounced: Hispanics make up more than 15% of the US population but earn less than 7% of bachelor's degrees in computer science. African Americans, about 13% of the population, earn less than 5% of these degrees (NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2012; NSF, Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities, 2012). BlackGirlsCODE is determined to “change the ratio” by introducing girls at a young age to the world of technology and to feed the STEM pipeline so more women of color become the technology and innovation leaders of the future.
BlackGirlsCODE has captured the attention of technology and community leaders around the country for its innovative approach to empowering girls from underrepresented communities to pursue career ambitions in an array of STEM-related fields during their launch of Summer of CODE.  As a committed partner, ThoughtWorks has been an immense advocate in supporting BlackGirlsCODE’s mission and united with them for their launch in New York.
"ThoughtWorks is thrilled to be partnering with BlackGirlsCODE (BGC).  As a global IT consultancy and product development firm that has always advocated for social and economic justice, we live every day knowing how important diversity is for establishing a great team that can spark the next innovative product or solution.  We're absolutely delighted to see so many BGC students walk away from BGC classes feeling empowered to do more on their own!  Planting that seed of curiosity and empowerment is a critical step towards a bold new future for these girl and the IT industry as a whole." – Grant Joung, ThoughtWorks San Francisco Office Principal.
Want BlackGirlsCODE to come to your city?

BlackGirlsCODE mission is to take our workshops nationwide. We are also hosting workshops this fall in  http://bgcatlanta2-efbevent.eventbrite.com/ Atlanta and  http://bgcdetroit.eventbrite.com/  Detroit. Email us at future@blackgirlscode.com if you are interested in helping us host a workshop in your area.

About Thoughtworks
ThoughtWorks - the custom software experts. A company wholly devoted to the art and science of custom software. We make it, and we make our clients better at it. Our bottom line is to design and deliver software fast and predictably. Doing enterprise-scale software is tough, but the returns to those organizations that can deliver - on target - are tremendous. ThoughtWorks' products division, ThoughtWorks Studios, offers tools to manage the entire Agile development lifecycle through its Adaptive ALM(TM) solution, comprised of Mingle®, Go(TM) and Twist®. ThoughtWorks employs 2,100 professionals to serve clients from offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Singapore, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

About BlackGirlsCODE
Since 2011, BlackGirlsCODE has been committed to providing girls from underrepresented communities access to technology and the 21st century skills necessary to become the tech leaders and creators of tomorrow. BlackGirlsCODE’s Summer of CODE campaign was created as vehicle to bridge the digital divide and change the face of tech in the United States. The campaign serves as an awareness program to future weeklong programs taking place in Chicago, Oakland, and Atlanta in the fall.