Monday, October 8, 2012

Black Girls Code: Knowledge is POWER!

A week or so ago Black Girls Code came to Detroit! I was so excited because after hearing about this AWESOME organization on Twitter I was looking for opportunities to get involved. They strive to reach girls who would not otherwise get access to this type of knowledge or opportunity:

"BlackGirlsCode has set out to prove to the world that girls of every color have the skills to become the programmers of tomorrow. By promoting classes and programs we hope to grow the number of women of color working in technology and give underprivileged girls a chance to become the masters of their technological worlds." - Black Girls Code

After completing the volunteer application I was set to help as a non-technical volunteer.  I attended  the volunteer training the night before the program day where we packed the registration bags and organized materials for the girls. I thought it was amazing that over 70 girls would be at Wayne State University to build their very own webpage!

Once I arrived the next day I was in awe. Most girls seemed diligent on getting their webpages built about whatever it was that interested them. Some even built links and Google search fields into their sites. They learned how to embed pictures and videos and how to use CSS to their advantage. It was amazing! And although I was not the most knowledgeable volunteer there, I helped where I could. There was one particular group of girls (some of which are pictured below) that didn't seem very interested in the task of building a webpage. So I showed them my site and coerced them into thinking about what they'd like to showcase on their websites. Two of them completed a webpage about bullying and another about nail polish techniques. They were so proud of their work, which made me even more proud of them! When it came time to present I encouraged them to volunteer to share. They were so well-spoken and professional during the presentation that it would have been difficult to recognize them only an hour before sucking their teeth and insisting they didn't care about webpages. My heart was definitely smiling that day!

The next and LAST program date for the "Summer of Code" is on October 13th in Atlanta (click here to register). I implore anyone who KNOWS a girl to register her and make sure she attends. Spread the word about this great organization. It's essential that our girls are not intimidated by technology and the more they KNOW the more they can DO!

Collage of training and BCC 

Girls, Me and Dr.McMullen PHD in Computer Science


Peace & Blessings,
KG

1 comment:

  1. I wish I had time that weekend, to come by. But next time it comes to Detroit, I'll make sure I'm in town for it. Being born and raised in Detroit, hearing things like this going on in the city makes me feel good and happy about our future techies! If there anything I can do just ask, I travel to Detroit quite a bit from Seattle to visit family, so I'm willing and available to help if I can.

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