It's just 4 days before our largest BlackGirlsCODE class so far in our Summer of Code Campaign in San Francisco and I am filled with pride, awe, and gratitude about all BGC has been able to accomplish in only a year since we launched in 2011. We started with a mission to reach girls from underrepresented communities and to introduce them to careers in technology in a small computer lab in the basement of a community organization in Bayview-Hunters Point, a predominantly African-American neighborhood on the outskirts of the SV gold coast. Now as we enter our inaugural Summer of Code Campaign, we have more than 100 girls registered for programming workshops in computing, robotics, and tech entrepreneurship in over 7 cities across the United States. To say that we have accomplished a LOT with very little would be a tremendous understatement. When we launched in 2011, our organization was largely a bootstrapped effort fueled on the passion and vision of a small group of founders dedicated to changing the face of technology. It was a prodigious act of fate which brought BlackGirlsCODE to the attention of companies such ThoughtWorks and Google who have supported our programs from the beginning and continue to support our efforts to grow and expand.
We are looking forward to the Summer of Code workshops as we spread our mission for providing opportunities for girls of color to broaden their ambitions for future careers in tech as both creators and founders. Our Saturday Build a Webpage class sold out in less than two weeks and we have over 80 girls ages 7-17 registered with many additional students on our waiting list. The response to BlackGirlsCODE has been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and we are humbled by the response and support of our community. But our mission is based on much more than simply teaching girls the basics of computing programming or robotics. We are dedicated to building not only strong technologists but empowering girls to develop the self-confidence and positive images to become the powerful and enlightened young women that will create positive change in their families, their communities, and our world.
I truly believe that BlackGirlsCODE will be the "Non-profit the could" and does change the face of this industry and our world. We're just waiting on everyone else to catch up with us and realize it as well. In the meantime, we have 80 girls waiting and WORK TO DO!
I truly believe that BlackGirlsCODE will be the "Non-profit the could" and does change the face of this industry and our world. We're just waiting on everyone else to catch up with us and realize it as well. In the meantime, we have 80 girls waiting and WORK TO DO!
~Kimberly Bryant
Founder
BlackGirlsCODE
Follow our campaign on Indiegogo:
http://igg.me/p/108824?a=620519
Founder
BlackGirlsCODE
Follow our campaign on Indiegogo:
http://igg.me/p/108824?a=620519