The field of technology and programming is often considered a white boys' club. But the face of the field may be changing, thanks in part to organizations like Black Girls Code (BGC), who have made it their mission to introduce programming and technology to a new, diverse generation of coders.
The organization offers young and pre-teen girls (ages 7 to 17) of color opportunities to learn in-demand skills in technology and computer programming, mobile app development, robotics and other STEM fields. The programs catch the girls at a time when they are naturally thinking about what they want to be when they grow up, and BGC wants STEM options to be front of mind.
The San Francisco-based nonprofit's mission is fueled by local chapters across the nation, and Memphis launched a chapter in 2013.
The local chapter is hosting a "Build A Webpage In A Day" workshop at New Horizons Computer Learning Center this weekend for interested girls. The workshop will, as the title suggests, focus on learning how to construct a webpage.
“We are thrilled to bring our web page development workshop back to Memphis. There is always considerable demand for this workshop, and so we are very happy to show even more girls how fun and easy it is to code,” said Meka Egwuekwe, Core Team Lead for BGC.
The workshop will be taught by the Memphis chapter curriculum lead, Karen Farrell-Shikuku, and is sponsored by the generous support of
Lokion Interactive. For girls 7 to 17, the workshop is on
April 18, with check-in beginning at
9 a.m., and the event starts promptly at
10:00 a.m. The cost of the workshop is $35 per child, with limited scholarships available.
Due to limited space and strong demand, parents are encouraged to register children
online as soon as possible.
“I’m excited to host our first workshop of 2015,” said Non-Technical Lead Nicole Harris. “Ensuring girls have the same STEM opportunities afforded to them as as their peers is a key component to the organization.”
For additional information or to inquire about sponsoring a girl, contact Meka Egwuekwe at
901-484-4203.
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