Today, less than 1 percent of girls in the U.S. express interest in majoring in computer science, and similarly, only a very small percentage of women around the world know how to write code, which restricts them from obtaining jobs in certain industries and creating change in our technology driven world.
That’s why Google started Made with Code, a non-profit campaign that aims to spark girls’ interest in coding and to show them how computer science can be used to follow their dreams. Computer science is one of the most promising fields of study in terms of employment; with a projected shortage of a million computer scientists to fill computer science positions, being able to code promises a bright future for modern young women.
This Saturday at the Global Citizen Festival, designs coded by girls will be displayed on the stage. These designs reflect the impact they want to make on the world and values they stand up for, such as world peace, respect for all women, and LGBTQ+ rights. To preview this initiative, Made with Code held an event in at Milk Studios in New York City featuring Chloe x Halle, teen sisters and R&B duo who have opened for Beyoncé and are signed to her management Parkwood Entertainment. They support the “Change is Made with Code” campaign and fight for gender and racial equality using Made with Code’s code-powered social media resources. At the event, Chloe and Halle sang after a Google representative gave a speech about why it is so important to bridge the gender gap in technology and how learning to code can empower women in incredible ways. Teen girls from NYC nonprofits, such as Black Girls Rock !, got together and were given the opportunity to learn some coding skills on the spot using Made with Code’s fun and engaging learning tools. I spoke to the Google representative about the mission of the campaign and its target audience.
Can you tell us a little bit about Made With Code?
“Made With Code is a program that was started by Google in 2014 to inspire millions of girls to take their first step in coding. You may know that girls are underrepresented in the computer science field right now, and our goal is to show girls all the beauty in and the creative ways that they can get involved with coding.”
What are some of these creative ways?
“Learning to code is one of those ways they can help empower women, they can become musicians, they can fight against bullying, or they can help save the environment.”
Is there a certain age group you’re trying to reach?
“This program was designed for 13 to 18 year old girls, so teen girls, and we feel that it’s the right step where they’re about to make a decision about their careers and what they’re going to major in when they go to college, and our hope is that they will consider a computer science program.”
The girls then got a chance to take pictures with get signatures from Chloe and Halle while discussing the coding skills they learned as well as their aspirations.
Photos by Reyna Wang
