Call to get more girls coding

Tuesday 26 August 2014

The founder of an after-school coding club is hoping to get more teenage girls interested in a career in the digital industry.

Gwyn Garfield-Bennett who set up Jersey Coders earlier this year to help ensure the Island has a strong IT future wants to see more girls joining the club when it starts up again next month.

Mrs Garfield-Bennett said: “We already have around six girls regularly attending, but with our digital future so important and with computer coding impacting on all of our lives, there should be more females preparing to enter the industry.”

Jersey Coders has a large team of mentors – all who work in the digital industry and who volunteer their time. The club is fast becoming a hub for teenage coders and their help has enabled it to increase its numbers and reduce its waiting list.

She said: "We are also keen to encourage any older teens who might be working on their own projects to come along to the club where they can receive mentoring from our industry professionals. The club is a social meeting point for those who are interested in coding to meet like-minded friends, as well as for them to learn. We’d like it to be a hothouse for youngsters to develop their talents in a safe and age-appropriate environment."

The club is split into three groups - one learning website development, another working on games coding and a third electronics group which this term will be learning to code with LilyPad development boards. 

The club is not just short of a few more girls though, more members mean it is also short of equipment and is now on the hunt for any second-hand laptops that local businesses might want to donate to them.

The club for teenagers in school years 7 and above meets on Wednesday evenings. You can find out more about it on the website designed by the teenagers themselves at www.jerseycoders.com