Girls can get their geek on #GirlsInnov8 2016

By pc on October 19, 2015

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Registrations are now open for #GirlsInnov8 Camp 2016. If you know girls interested in technology then these three days of coding, robotics, 3D modelling, and game design are the perfect place for them to meet like-minded peers and get their geek on, writes event organiser Klaris Philipson.

We know that girls are capable of anything. There is not and should not be any limit to what they can achieve in study, careers and life. However, I know that if girls have never had the chance to explore, learn and create with technology then there’s little chance they will choose to pursue it as path of study or a career – and it was from this realisation that #GirlsInnov8 was born.

Last January, I held New Zealand’s first girls-only residential code camp, #GirlsInnov8. It was designed to give girls a chance to create with technology, to have the opportunity to meet others who shared their technology interests and develop skills through exploring coding languages and applications.

The event proved to be a positive experience for each attendee and I believe has successfully managed to effect some change in their perception of themselves, their capacity to be successful with technology and the opportunities this growing field has for them. The initiative exposed girls to a traditionally male-dominated industry and illustrated paths they can follow or forge for themselves in this sector. Most importantly, I believe, it encouraged them to imagine, build, create and innovate, and that is the most satisfying result.

About #GirlsInnov8 Camp

Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 January, 2016
Places are available for more than 50 school girls from anywhere in New Zealand
Attendees must be in Years 9 to 13 in 2016
Full residential attendance only
Cost is $550 per attendee

Sharing technology passions

The success of the inaugural #GirlsInnov8 2015 has motivated us to expand the opportunity – and registrations are now open for the 2016 camp in January.

Being a residential camp means that all girls will spend three days and two nights together on the St Cuthbert’s College campus, with evenings offering the chance to talk to other students about the day’s learning and share technology passions.

The 2016 camp will offer new opportunities to engage with a range of new technological developments, hardware, concepts and challenges. On one evening, attendees will meet with a number of trail-blazing women in the IT industry, who will share their experiences and pathways to success. We have already confirmed Emma Woods (twitter.com/CodingCockatoo/), who is an active member of the ‘Internet Of Things’ group.

The support of the industry also reinforces the importance of increasing girls’ interest and involvement in the technology field. We are most grateful to our 2016 camp sponsors Orion Health, James and Monroe, Yellow, Provoke, New Zealand Software Association, and SovereignHR.

I love teaching Technology as a curriculum area, I love teaching girls from Year 1 to Year 13, and I have a personal addiction to IT. I’m a real gadget girl and must have the latest new toy to play with when it’s first realised, so I can see how it works and consider how I can share with the students, and what value can it add to their learning experiences.

This is why I coordinate all of the #GirlsInnov8 initiatives – the LittleGI8 and #GirlsInnov8 camps, MissBit and TechTween Code clubs, and GeekChic afterschool programmes – as well as encourage participation in any competitions available to the girls.

Ultimately, if they are curious, enjoy strategising, problem solving, learning by doing, and can be resilient when failure comes, then technology is a field in which they have potential to excel and the #GirlsInnov8 Camp 2016 is a great place to start.

Klaris Philipson is Director of Technologies at St Cuthbert’s College in Auckland.