Ladies Learning Code offering computer coding workshop for girls

A workshop being held Saturday in Charlottetown will introduce young girls to computer coding with the hopes it'll inspire them to work in the male-dominated technology industry down the road.

The workshop is being put on by Ladies Learning Code, a national non-profit organization that brings digital literacy to women and youth through workshops and private programming.

"We feel as though if we start young, that's sort of the best way to bridge that gender gap that exists," Emily Coffin, the lead for the P.E.I. chapter ofthe organization, told CBC'sMainstreet P.E.I.

Coding is the language that humans use to communicate with computers and can be thought of as the instructions that tell computers what we want them to do.

The workshop will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Startup Zone on Queen Street and will be for girls between eight and 13.

Coffin said eight is a good age to teach kids code because if they're any younger, it's hard to keep their attention.

Creating a game

Participants will make a game using a program called Scratch. While they'll follow the instructor's directions, the participants will be free to customize the game.

"It's surprisingly a lot easier for kids to catch on to that I find, just because they've grown up with so much technology," said Coffin.

After the workshop is done, she said the participants are buzzing with energy and are often looking forward to going home to experiment with their computers.

Coffin is originally from P.E.I. and took computer programming at Holland College. She was one of two women enrolled in the program, she said.

Workshop pay-what-you-can

Saturday's workshop is being offered with a pay-what-you-can price because it's being sponsored by Ladies Learning Code, whereas it would normally cost about $50.

Tickets are available from Eventbrite's website, eventbrite.ca., and participants will need to bring a laptop with them, as well as a parent or guardian.

Coffin said the P.E.I. chapter of Ladies Learning Code only started up about two months ago and it's hoping to put on more events in 2017 like Saturday's one.

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