The Untapped Potential of Women in Tech

“Australian women need more equal representation in technical and coding industries”Australian Bureau of Statistics, Women in STEM in Australia Report 2017As our Co-Founder, COO and mum of three daughters, Hayley says: if you can see it, you can be it. The technology sector in Australia is growing rapidly, but women and young girls haven’t been an equal part of that growth. Despite a lot of media attention and great work by organisations like Code Like a Girl and Girls in Tech, research suggests that the participation rate of females in technology – in secondary and tertiary education, and in the workforce – is actually getting worse, not better. So, the big question is: how do we change this? At Code Camp our philosophy for encouraging girls into tech has always focused on one thing: providing positive role models. That’s why each holidays we make sure we have at least 60% female teaching staff to show our kids that coding is not a boy’s sport. A lesson we want both the girls, and the boys to learn! It’s also why we’re super proud that more than half of our head office staff are female as well, and we strive to avoid the classic male-dominated tech company culture. Our team of coders is an industry-wide anomaly, with our two most senior coders and our development team leader all being female. We hire all our staff for both their technical prowess and their interpersonal skills – the best we’ve found just happen to be female. We’ve asked these incredible women at Code Camp, from our software engineers to our senior management, their thoughts on getting young girls excited about tech and coding. Hear their thoughts below:  

Amy  - Camp operations, former teacher & IT qualified, Code Camp

 
amy from code camp women in tech

  Amy, you’ve spent lots of time teaching kids to code. How do you find girls experience it? “I feel girls flourish at coding. Something many people don’t realise is how creative coding is. I find this is often the side that girls absolutely love. With coding you can create anything you can imagine, the children’s imagination runs away with them. Girls can be quite apprehensive about starting their coding journey as it’s not something they’ve been interested in before due to the male dominated stigma but this just makes it even more wonderful when their opinions flip upside down after learning they can code and how fun it actually is”.

Jo - Software engineer & mum of 2 daughters, Code Camp

 

  Jo, you recently introduced your daughter to coding at her first Code Camp. What was the biggest takeaway for you, regarding geting girls to love learning about tech at an early age?

“My daughter didn’t see her experience as coding per se it was more about creating a digital adventure. A mix of art, lego construction and storytelling on a digital platform. She doesn’t think she is very good at maths which I think put her off the idea of coding initially. However with Code Camp World she was so focused on what she was creating that her perception of her ability wasn’t an issue and the instant visual feedback made it a smooth learning curve. I always tell her my job reminds me of building lego as a child which is why I love it and now she gets that too. She is always so proud to show off her game and how she can make changes to it”.

Martina - Software engineer & social change advocate, Code Camp

 
martina code camp women in tech

  Martina, you’re a woman in tech who has used technology for social change. How do you think girls can make a positive impact around the world with technology? “Technology needs more women not just because they are users of technology and should therefore be included in shaping technological progress and products. Women can also bring a different take on problem solving, different opinions and ideas that can lead to better overall outcomes and solutions. It has been shown that teams with an equal gender mix tend to perform better and have less conflicts. It really is a no-brainer to encourage more women to join technology – especially those areas that are typically male dominated like engineering, operations and software development. To me it is not about encouraging women to become a female Bill Gates but rather about driving change and shaping the future together”.

Louise - Software delivery manager & mum, Code Camp

 
louise code camp women in tech

  Louise, you have a unique role in technology, as a software ‘delivery manager’ at Code Camp. This role is is all about communication and team work. What advice would you give to young girls who are unsure whether coding and technology is for them? “The great thing about technology is that there are hundreds of different roles across all different industries. This means that unlike some traditional jobs where skills are useful only for that role, technology roles are very fluid with plenty of choice to move around, following your passions until you find the right fit (which for me is Code Camp!). Take my word, you will never get bored!”.  

Your Ultimate school holidays activity list

1. Get creative with Minions

What is it?

Kids go bananas for Minions (pun intended) and these school holidays they can express their fandom making a Minions movie using stop-motion animation techniques. Over 2 days, kids create their own Minions clay characters and design their own film set. The magic begins when they see their characters come to life by taking multiple images of objects and stitching them together to look like they’re moving! - It’s incredibly fun!

Why go?

‍If they watch their favourite animated movies on repeat, they’ll love creating Minions clay figurines and developing their own story, taking lots of still frames and stitching them together to create their very first movie!  

Ages: 5-7

2. Become a DJ

What is it?

Children will take their first steps into the exciting world of mixing music to create their own DJ set.  

Why go?

Kids will love mixing their favourite pop tunes using beat matching and transitions on real DJ decks. Plus, they will design their own DJ brand, develop branded merch, and even perform a DJ set to their friends!

Ages: 8-13

3. Pilot a drone

What is it?

Kids learn to pilot a drone using coding to design a flight path and watch in wonder as the drone takes flight!

Why go?

If your kid shows an interest in drones, they can learn more than just the basics of flying. Kids get a taste of cutting-edge technology and learn about coding, problem-solving, engineering, design, and more. They’ll learn about drone tech and safety, movie making, and discover how drones have a positive social impact when used to fight bushfires, rescue koalas, spot sharks on the coast and loads more!

Ages: 9-13

4. Become a YouTuber

What is it?

While they may not end up with YouTube stardom, we’re sure kids will have a new lens on screen time. They will be equipped with the skills to start producing and directing their own ideas instead of simply watching other people's! Plus, they’ll gain confidence ‘performing’ in front of audiences and on set and importantly, learn about staying safe online.

Why go?

Taking a YouTube fixation and turning it into something incredibly productive where kids will learn planning, storytelling, filming and video editing to become the star in their very own YouTube-style videos.

Ages: 8-13

5. Produce a LEGO movie

What is it?

Turn hours of playing with LEGO characters into an even more creative pursuit, by teaching kids to create their own LEGO Movie.

Why go?

They can use their favourite LEGO characters and sets, come up with a fun storyline and use stop-motion techniques to produce a short animation film. It will transform the way they play at home and offer endless hours of creativity for the rest of the holidays.

Ages: 7-12

6. Code a game

What is it?

Kids can design their own arcade-style video games (like Super Mario Bros), jam-packed with cool characters like zombies and unicorns, and awesome gaming features such as invisibility cloaks and shrinking potions. They’ll learn drag and drop code and logic to connect all the design elements together and bring their games to life!

Why go?

Kids are spending countless hours on Roblox and Minecraft these days. Get them to spark their creative side instead, by producing their own original games, using a combination of creative level design, storytelling and problem-solving to bring their creations to life. It’s so much fun, they won’t realise they are actually learning some very important coding and tech skills for their future.

Ages: 7-12

7. Develop a Website

What is it?

For kids with some proficiency in coding, they’ll create their own website from scratch about an animal, movie, sporting team or their favourite topic.  

Why go?

With 1.93 billion websites on the world wide web, developers are in higher demand than ever before. It’s a great head start to gain fundamental web building skills and your kids will have so much fun in the process.

Ages: 8-13

Fun School Holiday Activities in Australia for Kids 5-13

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