Prepare Girls in Wisconsin for the Future of Work with Girls Who Code

by Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder of Girls Who Code

Computing skills are the most sought-after in the US job market, but girls across the US are being left behind. Today, less than a quarter of computing jobs are held by women, and that number is declining. In Wisconsin, there are 7,313 open computing jobs (2.8x the state average demand rate)-- and only 918 computer science graduates. By 2020, there will be 1.4 million open jobs in computing in the US, but fewer than 1 in 5 computer science graduates are women. With women making up almost half of our work force, it’s imperative for our economy that we’re preparing our girls for the future of work. 

I am not a coder. My background is as a lawyer and politician. In 2010, I was the first South Asian-American woman to run for Congress. When I was running for office, I spent a lot of time visiting schools, and that’s when I noticed something. In every computer lab, I saw dozens of boys learning to code and training to be tech innovators. But there were barely any girls!

I decided I was going to start a movement and organization to teach girls to code and close the gender gap in tech. What started as an experiment with 20 girls in a New York City classroom has grown to a movement of tens of thousands of middle and high school girls across all 50 states-- and we’ll reach 50,000 by the end of the 2018 school year. 

Our after school Clubs program is the perfect way for school districts, libraries and local community centers in Wisconsin to join the movement-- we can’t reach girls everywhere without the support of people like you. Clubs are free after-school programs for girls to use computer science to impact their community and join our sisterhood of supportive peers and role models. Clubs are led by Facilitators, who can be librarians, teachers, computer scientists, parents or volunteers from any background or field. Many Facilitators have no technical experience and learn to code alongside their Club members.

In Wisconsin, we have already partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Janesville School District to increase free computer science opportunities for middle and high school girls.This school year, we have launched 39 Clubs but hope to reach many more girls across the state by launching over 100 Clubs by the end of this school year.

When you teach girls to code, they become change agents and can build apps, programs, and movements to help tackle our country’s toughest problems. We hope you’ll join our movement by bringing a Club to your community! For more information, please visit girlswhocode.com/Clubs.

 

Reshma Saujani is the Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. Started in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached over 40,000 girls, running 80 Summer Immersion Programs and 1,500 Clubs across the US in 2017. Girls Who Code is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. 

 

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