COOKEVILLE – The Tennessee Code Academy ended its month-long “100 Girls of Code” tour of Tennessee in July. The program was set up to introduce 100 girls across Tennessee to computer programming at a free, one-day workshop. More than 150 young females, ages 12-18, attended one of the nine workshops that extended from Memphis to Knoxville.
100 Girls of Code will begin its second tour in October and travel across eight states throughout the southeastern United States by the end of next summer. The initiative hopes to introduce at least 100 girls to computer programming in each state.
“We were pleased with the success of the previous tour,” said Sammy Lowdermilk, Tennessee Code Academy program director. “Women have contributed to the innovation occurring in our country. Technology-based companies will only be better with a balanced team of employees and leaders.”
The previous tour – sponsored by Tennessee Tech University, Waypaver, Force X Inc. and Launch Tennessee – encouraged interest in computer programming, web development and gaming and computer applications. These workshops included an introduction into computer programming, a tutorial of the latest website development techniques and a start at the most innovative gaming development strategies – all taught by female programmers. According to the U.S. Labor Department, only 12 percent of employees in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are women.
A fundraising initiative has launched on IndieGoGo to help fund this free program. The crowd-funding campaign can be found at http://igg.me/at/100girlsofcode.
To learn more about the 100 Girls of Code initiative, go to www.100girlsofcode.com.
