Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. On March 7, 2020, the Girls Who Code chapter at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton will hold a one-day Girls Who Code Summit that teams elementary and middle school coders, high school student mentors, and female industry professionals. The event aims to introduce young girls to the fundamentals of coding, problem-solving, design, and development of software in an inclusive and inspiring environment that takes place on International Women's Day.

Students at the Girls Who Code Summit will be formed into groups of elementary and middle school students and placed on teams. The teams will consist of two to three student coders, a high school Girls Who Code mentor, and one female professional programmer. Coders will learn how to use MIT App Inventor, a platform to create Android applications using a web browser. As the first order of business, the high school students and industry mentors will show the younger students how to use MIT App Inventor on their tablets.

After that learning session, teams will identify a social issue that they are passionate about and want to address through the app they are building. The teams will be encouraged to consider wide-ranging ideas. One example, according to Cutter, might be a team deciding it wants to increase animal adoption rates by creating a platform for users to contact local animal shelters.

After the teams agree on the issue their apps will address, they will build, test, and debug the apps while drawing on help from the high school and industry mentors. The industry professionals will incorporate coding principles and guidelines that are practiced in the professional world to teach students how to move from having a vision to creating a working product.

"Teams will present their apps to students, community leaders, and stakeholders to showcase design, functionality, and, most importantly, a passion to change the world one app at a time," says Cutter.

The Amador chapter seeks individual and business donors and sponsors by March 1 for the event. A donation of $100 will sponsor one young coder. Donations will be used to send young coders home with their own Android tablets, as well as fund the inspirational guest speakers, facility use, and tech support needed to make the event successful. Donors will "help these students have a rich-learning experience that may spark an interest in a career in computer science," says Beth Cutter, Assistant Director of Adult and Career Education for the City of Pleasanton.

To support the Girls Who Code Summit, individuals and businesses can make tax deductible donations to the event via Pleasanton Partners in Education at gwc.futurefund.com/store/campaigns/13947.

To learn more about the national Girls Who Code organization, please visit girlswhocode.com.