Manitoba summer camps connect girls with computer coding

A new summer camp is hoping to inspire girls to take up computer coding.

"I think coding is an interesting skill set and I don't think as many girls are being encouraged to pursue it," said Nusrat Masood, the director of WISE Kid-Netic Energy.

WISE, which stands for Women in Science and Engineering, is a non-profit operating out of the department of engineering at the University of Manitoba.

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They run science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM workshops and programs with kids across the province.

Often STEM fields are more associated and marketed to boys, but it should be for everyone, Masood said.

She is from Bangladesh and grew up ina family where there were women engineers to look up to. But that's not always the case, she said.

"I think a lot of girls may associate coding with gaming or very male-dominated activities. And coding is for all, it's a necessary skill set," she said.

She said software coding is an emerging field that could offer work opportunities, and it's particularly important girls, newcomers and Indigenous youth see themselves in those roles.

"I think science and engineering, these are strong fields that society relies upon and in order for society to develop strong, we need to have different voices to shape that," she said. "We just try to get as many people involved as we can."

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As computers becomecentral to more and more jobs, knowing how to code will also become a necessary skill to gain employment, even outside the STEM fields, she added.

"I think just as us and many workplaces now are asked to work with Microsoft Excel or other sort of well-known office tools, I think in the future you are going to be asked to maybe look at some code and see why something is not working properly," she said.

But the kids in the camps won't be stuck behind the keyboard the whole time. Masood said there are lots of outdoor activities and games that can encourage the coding mindset and ignite a passion for science and engineering.

"The kids are awesome. They are just happy," she said.

"They are happy to have activitiesand snacks and bright, shiny happy undergraduate students."

For more information visit the WISE Kid-Netic Energy camp website.