CCC’s internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Employee Resource Group recently launched a pilot Girls Who Code team at the elementary school level.
Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, and is leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip students who identify as girls or nonbinary with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st century opportunities. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached 580,000 students through its in-person and virtual programming, and 185,000 of its alumni are college or career-aged.
We recently spoke with CCC’s Catherine Hodges to learn more about this initiative:
Q: How did you first hear about Girls Who Code and what motivated you to get involved?
A: I learned about Girls Who Code in my first DEI committee meeting at CCC. It really stood out as a way for girls to explore what technology has to offer in a “safe” space. The program is geared towards anyone who identifies as female and interested in technology. I would have loved to participate in a program like this when I was a kid!
Q: You most recently were working with staff and students at Proctor Elementary School in Topsfield, Mass. on a Girls Who Code project there. What was your biggest takeaway from this experience?
A: It was so rewarding to see them eager to take on projects! Even though it was grades 3-6, they were so curious and excited to create. One of my favorite moments was watching them help and encourage each other without even being asked. They took risks and discovered ways to integrate the Scratch platform used in the program with the smart board to draw their own avatars more easily. It was impressive.
Q: How did the students react, at first and then later on? Further out, what sort of longer-term outcomes would you hope to see coming out of those students’ experience in Girls Who Code?
A: They were all extremely excited from the beginning but were not sure what to expect. At this age, the program follows the book “Learn to Code and Change the World” and they wanted to jump right in to changing the world. CCC actually purchased the books for each of the girls so that made them more engaged. We structured the class by having them read for the first part and then take what was in the chapter to create something in Scratch. That made it more engaging. It was interesting to me when they were struggling with a concept, so I described a time at work when my team and I were in a conference room for hours trying to solve a problem and were getting frustrated. We went and walked around the building a few times to clear our heads and came back to it fresh. They were really fascinated by that, and we talked about how they can apply this to almost any situation. For example, if you are struggling with your homework, go take a stretch and come back to it later. I hope that they apply the strategies we learned about planning, developing, debugging, testing, etc. to their lives. It is not just for writing code.
Q: Would you recommend participating in this program to others? If so, why?
I really would recommend this program! I have heard from the director of the STEM program at our local high school that girls still drop coding classes after they meet the requirement because they do not feel comfortable or recognized. I want that to change and really hope that these kids will have the confidence to pursue whatever field interests them. I had a partner from our community leading this with me and the kids really responded to us as women in technology.
CCC is an agile and dynamic organization made stronger by our increasingly diverse community. Our team is encouraged and supported to contribute thoughts and ideas and is committed to a more inclusive, equitable, vibrant ecosystem that mentors and cultivates opportunity.
We recognize high performance and innovative thinking in how we can continue to foster change in our industry, access and serve underserved markets, and contribute to the common good in a way that has influence in the world. Our relationships with the Mass Technology Leadership Council (Mass TLC) and the North Shore Juneteenth Association have joined other ongoing programs, including “We Not Me.”