The Girl Scouts are all about hands-on learning; that’s true on the campground and now also in the coding studio.
Codeverse, the world’s first fully interactive coding studio, will host a special workshop for Brownies and Juniors of the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northern Indiana on Sept. 8, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Participants will learn how to build an app or game at the Codeverse flagship studio, located at 819 W. Eastman St., in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Codeverse Co-Founder Katy Lynch says that it’s only natural that the two organizations work together to foster girls’ interest in technology. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana because of their commitment to encouraging young girls to maintain their interest in STEM fields,” she says.
The participating Girl Scouts are set up for success in a supportive and fun space where they can see the immediate results of their efforts with their app or game. Not only will they have a ton of fun, they’ll also be developing knowledge and skills that the jobs of the future will require.
The number of jobs in STEM fields is expected to keep growing rapidly, but women are currently very underrepresented, accounting for less than a quarter of employees in the STEM workforce, according to a report by the Economics and Statistics Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. That same study also found that women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs.
The hope is that when girls dip their toes into coding in a girls-only environment, they’ll get excited by the endless possibilities and want to dive right in.
The skills learned through coding, such as logical reasoning and creative thinking, apply beyond the STEM world, too. “We’re committed to encouraging girls to develop the problem-solving skills that will empower them to tackle challenges in their communities, classrooms, careers and beyond,” says Rose Coughlen, manager of STEAM programs for Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
As part of the partnership, participating scouts will earn a cool custom GS/Codeverse patch once they have completed the 75-minute workshop. The workshop is $49. Girls can register through Aug. 20 here.
