You Code, Girl

Here’s an interesting fact: less that 1% of high school girls express an interest in majoring in computer science in college.  With those kind of numbers, one would think that school-age girls have no interest in tech, but just look around; whether it’s watching videos, chatting with friends online or posting on Instagram, it is obvious that girls are actively using tech — most just aren’t actively involved in creating it.

Google is hoping to change that.

Recently the high tech powerhouse launched “Made with Code;” a project that Google claims is aimed at inspiring more young women to commit to making computer science a career. The program includes introductory coding projects directed specifically at girls. Google says that it intends to commit $50 million to the project over the next three years.

Google has partnered with several high-profile women and organizations in its pursuit to make the project a success. Chelsea Clinton and actress Mindy Kaling are on board, as well as the MIT Media Lab, the National Center for Women and Information Technology the Girl Scouts of America and Girls Who Code, among others.

Clinton recently told a group of some 150 tween and teen girls at a Google-sponsored event that she was not thrilled that women have lost ground to boys and men when it comes to computer science. “Right now, our voices aren’t being heard,” she stated.

She went on to cite that only 12 percent of computer-science degrees currently go to women.

Mindy Kaling, who served as the emcee at the gathering, told the assembled crowd, “I think coding is cool, but most girls don’t. Made with Code lets girls see coding not just as something they can do, but something they’d love to do”

SLS Consulting supports Google’s drive to empower more girls in this increasingly tech-driven world and hopes to that it will encourage more girls to get involved with the creation of new technologies that will change the ways we communicate and interact with each other in the future.