Coding girls: in their own words

This post is about coding/geekery and girls. Yes, that much-hectored subject that we love and loathe to discuss. I would like to share four short videos with you from our YouTube channel that I think contain some very simple facts about learning programming, to help inform those who are focusing on bringing more girls into this field. They were all filmed at this year’s Young Rewired State: Festival of Code and our first Young Rewired State event in New York City; they are only a few snatched minutes, but the girls (of varying ages) are consistent in their message.

At the end of this post I have listed what I took from these, but obviously you are free to draw your own conclusions and I hope that by getting this stuff on camera, it helps raise awareness and understanding of what really matters.

Here is 16 year old Emma Corlett, this is her second year at the Festival of Code:

Introducing Nadine Shaalan, NYC, aged 15

Amy Marshall aged 11 shares her thoughts and a small dance…

Finally the lovely Jenny Lea (16) I dare you not to be at least smiling by the end of this video…

Here are the highlights for me from what they are saying:

• it’s a useful skill for future jobs, even if not in tech
• it is more a life skill/interesting skill to have
• the community is the best thing about being with other kids who are discovering coding
• the other kids are not weird
• it’s free to learn and peer-to-peer is an effective way to get to know whatever you might choose to learn
• it’s not a MASSIVE thing, but it is fun so why not?

“Why not?” is the persistent message, but keeping it social is important too.

These interviews are available thanks to the inspiration of Gemma Cocker from Rosy Cheeks Productions, our forever champion and a great film-maker, who roamed free and asked some great questions of the young people we had at the Festival.