We’ve been sponsoring the Liverpool Geek Girl Academy. The Academy was created to inspire girls who may not have considered a career in technology before to experience what that might be like.
Last week they celebrated the end of the programme and showcased what the 15 girls had achieved.
Over 8 week 15 girls ages 11-15 coded, bonded and successfully built their own websites using WordPress.
90 applications | 15 incredible girls | 8 weeks; The Girl Geek Academy @FACT_Liverpool sponsored by @CoopDigital. Share our journey….❤️ pic.twitter.com/ubd4SS0YNy
— Liverpool Girl Geeks (@lpoolgirlgeeks) November 16, 2016
Becky Arrowsmith who’s a developer at Co-op also stopped by during the Academy to give the girls a a special master class.
The winner received a one to one with Mike Little one of the founders of WordPress and he also presented the awards. The winner was Amelia Roberts, aged 13 who created a website to celebrate Tim Peake and space exploration. You can hear from Amelia in the video below.
Happy #Friyay! We’ve had a great week with our girls completing the #LGGacademy.Here’s a vid of our prize winner, Amelia @FACT_Liverpool pic.twitter.com/Rw5qrviD5p
— Liverpool Girl Geeks (@lpoolgirlgeeks) November 18, 2016
“I have really enjoyed Girl Geeks Academy. It has helped me realise how much I can do and achieve, and that tech isn’t just for the boys anymore!”
Amelia Roberts
It was a pleasure to be at the awards ceremony and see the change in the girls since I first met them on their first day. I saw girls with more confidence and with a new found curiosity in technology. This is so important as studies suggest that only 1% of the tech workforce will be female by 2040 if we don’t try and redress the balance. Providing opportunities like this to show what a career in tech is like will hopefully encourage more girls to take that step.
The Co-op is committed to education and diversity which is why we were delighted to have sponsored this event.
Danielle Haugedal-Wilson
Business Architect