IT Girls provides an opportunity for female students to learn computer programming by local IT professionals in the Baton Rouge area. Geared toward to East Baton Rouge Parish Middle School girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, the event is going into its third year.
The event is co-sponsored by Louisiana Women in Technology (LaWIT), the Foundation for East Baton Rouge School System, and STEMup Baton Rouge, among others. IT Girls will kick off on Friday, February 26 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm at Baton Rouge Community College.
LaWIT executive director Kristen Reeves said the event has doubled in size since the pilot program in 2014. “We’ve had tremendous support from the community and I’m very appreciative of the 30 volunteers that are taking the time to help with this event. The only way that we can make IT Girls happen is by the continued dedication from our members and the companies in the local community that believe in our mission.”
Organizers say the goal of IT Girls is to increase student interest in STEM and preparedness for entering the STEM workforce in Louisiana and beyond. First year girls will be introduced to coding by learning Scratch, and second year girls will be introduced to more advanced coding through App and/or HTML development.
“This event will give girls an introduction to creative computing with Scratch and App Inventor, MIT developed programming tools,” says Kim Fossey, program director for STEMup Baton Rouge, an initiative of the Foundation for EBRSS. “The lesson, which will result in a game developed by the students and a phone app, will emphasize the knowledge and practices they they will need to create different types of media they use in their everyday lives.”
IT Girls is scheduled during National Engineers Week, which runs from February 21-27. The week aims to increase interest and understanding in engineering and technology careers and is hosted by the National Society of Professional Engineers.
For more information about IT Girls, visit la-wit.org.