Girls Who Code Launches Canadian Chapter
Digital literacy is one of the most important aspects to teach both older generations as well as younger ones, and an established organization is setting up shop in Canada to bring more tech education to those who need it.
Girls Who Code has announced its expansion into Canada, its first international market outside the U.S. and its home base of New York City. The non-profit is dedicated to closing the gender gap within technology by providing young girls with the opportunity to learn and be exposed to computer science. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached over 90,000 people, and the organization is planning to expand to over 100 different clubs in Canada within its first year.
Other organizations can apply to start their own Girls Who Code club right now on their site. This CLubs program is a free after-school program for girls aged 13 to 18, offering an introduction to the basics of computer science. The clubs also offer interactive activities and the chance to learn about inspiring role models in tech. Club members can even work together to help find solutions to problems their neighbourhoods are currently facing.
The announcement for Girls Who Code’s expansion into Canada came at the #movethedial summit, an organization dedicated to empowering women within STEM industries.
“At our core, Girls Who Code is a community dedicated to empowering girls with the confidence, support, network, and technical skills they need to change the world,” said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. “We’re looking forward to complementing existing efforts to tackle the gender gap in technology in Canada—where the landscape is very similar to the U.S.”
The expansion into Canada is funded by Morgan Stanley, a large investment banking company from the U.S. They have sponsored an immersion program for Girls Who Code in the U.S. already and wanted to help the non-profit expand with an international presence.
“We’re confident that in partnership with the local community, our unique gender-specific approach and focus on engaging girls earlier in the pipeline will help increase the number of girls entering university-level computer science programs and ultimately the number of women pursuing computer science careers in Canada,” said Saujani.
