Press Release

Le programme prône l’inclusivité dans le domaine des STIAM et cible les filles et les apprenantes non binaires aux études secondaires et supérieures

TORONTO, le 18 juillet 2023 – Hackergal, organisme de bienfaisance de premier plan axé sur l’éducation technologique des filles et des apprenantes non binaires au Canada, et RBCx, commanditaire de cette année, ont remis les toutes premières bourses d’études Hackergal lors d’une cérémonie de remise de prix qui s’est tenue le 11 juillet 2023. 

Lancé cette année, le Programme de bourses d’études Hackergal récompense des ambassadrices Hackergal qui incarnent la passion et l’engagement en faveur de la diversité et de l’inclusion dans le secteur des technologies et agissent en tant que catalyseurs de changement positif au sein de leur collectivité. Une bourse d’études de 5 000 $ est remise à deux élèves du secondaire qui poursuivent des études dans un domaine des STIAM (sciences, technologie, ingénierie, arts et mathématiques). 

Les premières boursières du programme Hackergal sont Aruthy Sriketharan, de la Mississauga Secondary School à Mississauga (Ontario), et Lakshmi Muralidhar, de la Bramalea Secondary School à Brampton (Ontario). 

La cérémonie de remise des bourses de cette année s’est déroulée dans un bureau de RBCx devant une salle comble d’invités, dont les boursières et leurs familles, ainsi que des membres du personnel et du conseil d’administration de Hackergal et de RBCx. 

« Nous sommes ravis de lancer notre tout premier programme de bourses et de soutenir l’éducation de nos futures leaders. Il s’agit d’un pas important pour l’organisation et ses partenaires, qui témoigne des progrès accomplis pour combler l’écart entre les sexes dans le secteur des technologies au Canada, a dit Lucy Ho, fondatrice et directrice générale de Hackergal. À Hackergal, nous pensons que l’éducation est un outil puissant de changement social, et nous nous engageons à aider les apprenantes à atteindre leurs objectifs et à apporter une contribution à leur collectivité. Ces boursières ont obtenu des résultats académiques exceptionnels et se sont distinguées par leur leadership et leur engagement communautaire. Nous sommes honorés de pouvoir contribuer à leur réussite. »

Acteur de l’écosystème technologique canadien et commanditaire du programme, RBCx est déterminée à soutenir les initiatives qui contribuent à éliminer les barrières pour un groupe plus diversifié de leaders de demain.

« Si l’on veut favoriser l’émergence d’un espace inclusif pour la prochaine génération de leaders, il est important de donner aux organisations le soutien dont elles ont besoin pour susciter un changement significatif, mentionne Nicole Kelly, cheffe, Marketing, RBCx. RBCx est fière d’appuyer la mission de Hackergal : instaurer une plus grande équité dans les domaines de la technologie et de l’innovation par l’éducation et encourager les idées audacieuses et brillantes. »

Les candidates à la bourse doivent s’être démarquées par leur excellence scolaire, leur leadership et leur engagement communautaire, et avoir soumis un dossier de candidature complet comprenant un essai personnel et des lettres de recommandation.

Pour en savoir plus sur Hackergal, visitez le www.hackergal.org/fr. 

Aperçu de Hackergal

Fondé en 2015, Hackergal a pour mission d’initier les filles de tout le Canada à l’informatique par son programme Hackathon. L’organisme veut créer un mouvement national qui inspire les filles à explorer les possibilités qu’offre le codage et, à terme, changer le visage de l’informatique et des technologies en suscitant leur intérêt à un jeune âge et en renforçant leur confiance en soi. 

Aperçu de RBCx

RBCx appuie l’audace des idées, des fondateurs et des entreprises de technologie. Nous savons que la création de grandes entreprises exige plus que du financement. C’est pourquoi nous misons sur la force conjuguée de nos quatre piliers – Services bancaires, Capital, Plateforme, Capital-risque – pour être le principal soutien de l’innovation canadienne. Nous utilisons notre vaste expertise pour soutenir des entreprises de toutes tailles à toutes les étapes de leur croissance. Nous mettons à profit l’expérience, les réseaux et le capital de RBC pour résoudre les grands problèmes de demain.

Personne-ressource, médias :

Ruby Awan, directrice, Marketing, Hackergal

ruby@hackergal.org

The scholarship promotes inclusivity for career opportunities in the STEAM field and targets girls and non-binary learners as early as high school

TORONTO, July 18, 2023 – Hackergal, a leading charity focusing on tech education for girls
and non-binary learners across Canada, and this year’s sponsor, RBCx, awarded the first ever
Hackergal Scholarships during an award ceremony held on July 11, 2023.

The Hackergal Scholarship program launched this year, awarding Hackergal Scholars who
exemplify passion and dedication to diversity and inclusion in the tech industry and take action
as catalysts for positive change within their communities. The Scholarship provides $5,000 to
two high school seniors pursuing higher education in a STEAM field.

The inaugural recipients of the Hackergal Scholarship are Aruthy ​​Sriketharan of Mississauga
Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, and Lakshmi Muralidhar of Bramalea Secondary
School in Brampton, Ontario.

The ceremony celebrating this year’s recipients was held in an RBCx office in front of a full room
of guests, including scholarship recipients and their families, Hackergal and RBCx staff, board
members, and supporters.

« We are thrilled to launch our first ever scholarship program and support the education of our
future leaders. This is a monumental milestone for the organization and our partners,
demonstrating progress towards closing Canada’s gender gap in technology, » said Lucy Ho,
Founder and Executive Director of Hackergal. « At Hackergal, we believe that education is a
powerful tool for social change, and we are committed to supporting our learners to achieve
their goals and make a positive impact in their communities. These Scholars have demonstrated
exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement, and we are
honored to be a part of their journey. »

As backers of Canada’s tech ecosystem, program sponsor RBCx is committed to supporting
initiatives that help to break down barriers for a more diverse group of future leaders.

“To power an inclusive space for the next generation of leaders, it’s important that we equip
organizations with support to drive meaningful change forward,” said Nicole Kelly, Head of
Marketing at RBCx. “RBCx is proud to sponsor Hackergal in their mission to foster a more
equitable tech and innovation industry through education that encourages bolder, brighter
ideas.”

To qualify for the scholarship, students must have demonstrated academic achievement,
leadership, and community involvement, and have submitted a completed application, including
a personal statement and letters of recommendation.

For more information about Hackergal, please visit www.hackergal.org.

About Hackergal
Hackergal was founded in 2015 with the mission to introduce girls across Canada to computer
science through its hackathon program. The charity’s goal is to create a national movement of
girls coding, ultimately closing the gender gap in technology and computer science — by
sparking their interest and confidence at an early age.

About RBCx
RBCx powers bold ideas, founders, and technology companies. We know building great
businesses takes more than just finance, which is why our four pillars – Banking, Capital,
Platform, and Ventures – combine to make us the go-to backer of Canadian innovation. We use
our deep expertise to support businesses of all sizes and stages, and leverage RBC’s extensive
experience, networks, and capital to solve tomorrow’s big problems.

Hackergal hosts virtual Hackathon for Computer Science Education Week to bridge the gender gap in technology

December 11, 2019 – TORONTO – On December 11th, at 12 pm Eastern Time, over 4,500 girls will connect virtually with their peers across Canada. From the East Coast to the West, major cities to remote communities, girls grades 6-9 will log in from their classrooms to use the coding skills they’ve learned over the past several months. It’s Hackergal’s 5th Annual Hackathon, a nation-wide event that builds a community of female coders in Canadian schools.

Hackergal is a charitable organization inspiring girls to explore opportunities in computer science. Collaborating with teachers across the country, Hackergal offers a supportive learning experience for both students and educators, providing the tools they need to learn how to code in preparation for Hackergal’s biannual hackathon, a cumulative event where girls apply their digital skills and collaboratively code around a social impact theme.

Reflections on Leadership
This year’s theme “Leaders in Herstory” asks girls to consider the qualities of everyday champions, fictional heroes, and role models. In a time where leadership is at the forefront of our thoughts, the girls will code an interactive story or game as a reflection of the individual’s story or impact, no matter how big or small. They’ll be asked to consider who the leaders in their lives are, what is exceptional about these people, and how can the girls themselves emulate these qualities in their own lives.

The girls in our program are at that crucial age when they form personal narratives about their capabilities while making important decisions about their future. They are learning about problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership skills as they are challenged to think about technology in new ways and be resilient in a supportive setting. These are the experiences that will set girls up for success and help them grow into Canada’s future tech champions.

— Kumiko Imai, Director of Education, Hackergal

Bridging the Gender Gap
As the tech industry continues to grow annually, there is an increased demand for diverse skills, perspectives, and talent, but women and girls are often left behind. In STEM fields, women make up 22% of the workforce, a number that has only grown by 2 percent in the past thirty years. Women are also vastly underrepresented in leadership roles, with more than 53% of Canadian tech companies reporting to have zero women on their executive teams.

Working in the tech industry, I noticed again and again how tech leadership continues to be dominated by men. It made me think: how can girls aspire to have an impact in this field if they are not exposed to role models that look and sound like them? That’s why it’s important for us to champion girls at a young age and support them through their coding journey so they can see themselves as future leaders and changemakers.

— Lucy Ho, Founder, Hackergal

With a dedication to developing a diverse and inclusive technology industry, Hackergal is hosting an iPad and Swift Playground workshop bringing students together to explore the intersection of creativity and code in Toronto on December 13th.

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About Hackergal
Hackergal is a charitable organization inspiring girls to explore their own potential in computer sciences through the experience of a hackathon. Hackergal works directly with the education system across Canada, providing educators with the tools they need to expose girls to coding lessons in their very own schools! For more information, visit us at www.hackergal.org

Media Contact
Bukunmi Ogunrosoye
Digital Marketing and Communications Coordinator
bukunmi@hackergal.org
(226) 9218209

Toronto, September 19, 2019 – Hackergal, a not-for-profit organization that introduces young girls across Canada to coding, has received $1 million from the Government of Canada’s CanCode funding, which has allowed them to launch Hackergal 2.0: Reaching New Heights.

As one of the 21 organizations to receive a collective $12.4 million from the second stream of CanCode funding over the next two years, Hackergal 2.0: Reaching New Heights initiative will deliver training on the basics of coding through workshops and semiannual hackathons in schools from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

It is important we provide opportunities for young girls to see themselves beyond gender stereotypes and see how capable they are as engineers, scientists, and technology leaders starting at an early age. By providing environments where girls can be inspired, be curious, and ask questions, girls will use technology to shape the world we live in for the better. That’s what I see through our hackathons each year.

— Lucy Ho, Co-Founder & Executive Director

The Hackergal 2.0: Reaching New Heights initiative will:

• Develop an online portal for program delivery to increase Hackergal’s impact through their nationwide in-school hackathons
• Build its program reach to engage over 17,000 new girls to learn code across Canada
• Provide training and development opportunities for over 850 educators on digital skills
• Create customized coding and technology-related educational resources to support provincial and territorial curricula requirements
• Expand program delivery into Quebec and French-speaking schools across participating provinces and territories

Since Hackergal’s initial launch in late 2015, Hackegal has increased the number of girls engaged in their hackathon education program from 300+ girls in Ontario to over 7,500 girls this past year across all provinces. With the support of CanCode, Hackergal will expand programming to support girls in traditionally underrepresented groups with the goal to bring code education to 50,000+ girls cumulatively over the next three years.

Hackergal has evolved under Lucy’s leadership to become the largest hackathon in Canadian history, as measured by the number of participants. I cannot understate the true innovation from the Hackergal team, the ability to host a national learning event with 100+ schools from Western to Atlantic Canada culminating in a hackathon within which diverse teachers are able to lead girls through the process of learning a programming language. It’s remarkable. Now with the support of the Government of Canada, we are excited to grow Hackergal many times larger. Our ultimate objective is to dramatically change what we believe is the largest gender gap in society today – developers.

— Ray Sharma, Co-Founder & Chair

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About Hackergal
Hackergal was founded in 2015 with the mission to introduce girls across Canada to computer science through its hackathon program. The not-for-profit’s goal is to create a national movement of girls coding — ultimately closing the gender gap in technology and computer science — by sparking their interest and confidence at an early age. To learn more or register your school for Hackergal’s 5th Annual Hackathon this Fall, reach out to the team by emailing hello@hackergal.org.