Females are in the minority of those working in the STEM field- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In the last 30 years or so, the number of women working in these industries has risen from 20 per cent in 1987 to 22 per cent in 2017.
That is why program such as Hackergal exist, to give young girls the opportunity to learn about the coding industry first hand.
Grade 6 girls at Ecole Steffie Woima School, led by Grade 6 teacher Cheryl Lehto, took part in a “hackathon” on May 3 as part of the program.
“The girls are just beginning to learn how to code, it is pretty new to them still,” said Lehto.
The girls in Grade 6 are currently working in small groups of two or three to create a presentation about an endangered animal.
They are using the coding skills that have learned thus far to create their projects.
The hackathon is part of the Hackergal experience. It is during this event that the students work together to overcome problems and apply their few coding skills.
“A Hackathon is an event in which groups of people come together to solve a problem,” according to the Hackergal website. “The term is largely used in the tech industry to describe a fast-paced event in which computer programmers or “coders” work together to create a functioning product.”
Each group works together during a hackathon to create an “interactive project” in the case of the Steffie Woima students, a presentation about an endangered animal.
Programs such as Hackergal opens doors for young girls. A large majority of girls do not consider entering a STEM field, such as computer science.
After participating in a hackathon, Hackergal has found 75 per cent of the girls become interested in the computer science industry.
The Hackergal program can continue throughout high school. In Grade 9 the girls can become a “Tech Guru” and mentor to younger hacker gals. In Grade 10 they can participate in computer science classes, and further their studies in post secondary school.
Hackergal is a not-for-profit organization that introduces young girls across Canada to coding.
megan.roth@sylvanlakenews.com
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