With Canada’s Only All Girls Hackathon Closing the Technology Gender Gap Hackergal Brings Girls Together to Code with a Purpose
TORONTO, March 29, 2021 – Hackergal today announced that their National all-girl’s Hackathon is back June 4 to 11, 2021. Hackergal’s National Hackathon program is designed for girls in grades 6-9 to raise awareness and generate enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education among girls across the country.
This will be Hackergal’s 10th Annual Hackathon, a nation-wide event that builds a community of female coders across Canada. The Hackathon is open to schools, libraries, community and government organizations. At Hackergal’s last Hackathon in December 2019, more than 4,500 girls from across Canada participated. This year, girls will connect virtually with their peers to use the coding skills they’ve learned to code an interactive story or game around a social impact theme.
Hackergal has introduced Hackergal Hub, their proprietary, free online learning portal offering interactive computer science education accessible to all girls in Canada available in English and French. It offers coding curriculum through interactive course content, webinars, videos, interviews and blogs featuring Women in Tech role models, and career connections. Hackergal Hub supports schools and community organizations that have pivoted to online learning, offering virtual hackathon coding lessons to students remotely while providing teacher-led lessons via video conferencing.
“Hackergal’s National Hackathon is a way for girls to put their coding skills to work to solve a real-world issue,” said Lucy Ho, Founder & Executive Director, Hackergal. “COVID-19 has put all of us to the test over the past year which made us even more determined to bring back the annual Hackathon to inspire and connect this growing community of girls who want to pursue technology-related studies in STEM and computer science. We know how much this event means to the girls who are part of our programs and the importance of giving them a way to let their new skills shine. This unique event provides girls with a safe environment to work together using technology and shape the world we live in.”
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 Hackathon.
“Being part of Hackergal has opened my eyes to the world of options that I can pursue in school,” said Janat Baig, Hackergal Student Ambassador. “I feel so lucky that I had the opportunity to be a part of the Hackergal Hackathon experience. I worked with a team to build an interactive story online to solve a challenge we were given, using the coding concepts that I had already learned. I had so much fun and made new friends who are also interested in computer science. I am definitely planning for a technology career.”
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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 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. Hackergal has four programmatic pillars to support its mission:
- Hackergal Hackathon: The Hackergal Hackathon invites middle school girls across Canada to work in teams to code a project focused on creating social impact change.
- Hackergal Hub: Hackergal Hub is a free online learning platform that equips girls with the tools to lead their own coding journeys!
- Scholarships and Ambassador Program: Hackergal is committed to providing ongoing support to girls who have participated in our programs and are keen to pursue their interest in computer science and technology-related fields. Hackergal will provide internships, scholarships, and networking opportunities to pave the way for a more equitable future in technology.
- Growing Hackergal – Diversity and Inclusion: Hackergal is focused on expanding our reach and impact on girls and facilitators across Canada to support BIPOC communities, building inclusive programs that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
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Hackergal
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