Do you know working on codes can be as interesting as sketching an outfit or designing a house? Well, code can be the most creative tool that gives people the ability to form, innovate, and change the world.
Google is launching a new initiative ‘Made with Code’ to bring more girls interested in engineering and computer science and to teach them how to code to eventually help them get high-powered tech jobs. Launched this $50 million initiative this Thursday, it introduces role-models and stalwarts of coding who write codes to design cool gadgets, costumes, applications, choreograph dances and create animated movies.
What makes girls indifferent toward coding?
The Google has found that girls decide not to take up coding as their profession even before entering college and there are four major factors that influence them; these are social encouragement, self-perception, academic exposure, and career perception.
What made Google to launch this program?
Less than 1% of school girls are interested in taking up coding as part of their profession and this is the reason why Google planned to launch ‘Made with Code’ to get more girls involved in computer programming. According to a survey, the participation of girls in computer science has come down to 18% from 37% in the 1980s and this made popular search giant Google to invest $50 million to teach young girls how to code.
How ‘Made with Code’ will help girls in coding?
‘Made with Code’ is a website that features illustrious women coders who use coding in various spectrums including fashion, art, science, animation, health, and many more. This website offers simple and fun coding lessons for young girls to learn programming.
For this, Google created 13 different coding projects which will cater to novice coders to veterans. One of such projects is to write code to create bracelets in few minutes, get 3-D printed and send through mail.
What makers and mentors have to say about this initiative?
One of the mentors of ‘Made with Code’ is Miral Kotb. She is the founder of iLuminate which is a dance troupe that participated in America’s Got Talent; she uses coding to illuminate the costumes of its dancers. She says, “There’s a lot of negative stigma with female computer-science developers, but it’s hard in the way people think. Females are good in organizing things and putting them together and I believe our mind works well in this.”
Other mentors involved in this initiative include Danielle Feinberg, animator of Pixar, Erica Kochi from the UNICEF Innovation Unit, Ebony ‘Wondagurl’, who mixes beats for singer Jay-Z, Brittany Wenger, who form code to fight cancer, along with many others.
What do the creators think?
- According to Megan Smith, VP of Google (X) coding is a fundamental skill that’s soon going to be a part of almost every profession. “We have teamed up with all-girls coding groups and camps to create a platform where young girls can understand and learn coding,” adds Smith.
- According to Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, “We want to show girls that computer science is an important part of their future, no matter what field they want to enter.”
The partners in Google’s initiative ‘Made with Code’, include the nonprofit Girls Who Code and Clinton Foundation. Gooogle also has plans to join hands with DonorsChoose.org to reward and motivate teachers to spread awareness of computer science courses among girls with the help of online coding schools. It is also taking help from Science and Entertainment Exchange to find more girls in the coding world to bring them into mainstream media.
The launching event ‘Made with Code’ took place on Thursday in New York where as many as 150 girls will mark their presence. Also, the event will witness the performance of indie rockers Icona Pop along with coders who will demonstrate some of their coding work.
