Computers for Girls Coding Program in an Underserved Community
January 18, 2021
CIMI’s Virtual Run/Walk Challenge inspired people to get moving (run, walk, or bike) after the smoke from the wildfires thinned out. Participants chose a challenge distance of 5k, 10k, or half marathon during the month of November 2020 to show their commitment to their own fitness. Members of the CIMI sponsored families received a backpack with household supplies such as hand sanitizers and water bottles.
CIMI supporters and members of the public also participated in this challenge. Thanks to your active participation, CIMI raised over $22,000 from this event.
The proceeds will be used to support an upcoming program, CIMI Coding Class for Girls, that leverage tools from another nonprofit organization, Girls Who Code (GWC). They are building a pipeline of female engineers to close the gender gap in computing. They have served 300,000 girls around the world. Half of the girls they have served come from historically underrepresented groups, including, girls who are Black, Latinx, or from low-income backgrounds.
CIMI has signed up girls in elementary and middle schools from underserved communities in San Jose who are eager to learn coding. The program is structured to deliver four modules created by GWC. Each module is 10-weeks long and delivered via virtual platform. GWC will provide the course materials and CIMI will provide the computers and the online learning environment. CIMI is working closely with a facilitator to launch this program in March 2020.
The modules are:
Learning the Basics
Scratch
Swift (on iPad)
Python
In addition to the tutorials (independent working time, code collaboration, code alongs, or pair programming), each session is organized and facilitated to build bravery and confidence.
The girls will also receive a certificate for their participation and will be able to start building their resumes.
The program also spotlights women flourishing in the field of technology.
Introducing our Facilitator:
Ivonne Figueroa
Ivonne Figueroa believes education is the most powerful equalizer. She holds a doctorate in Human Factors and Applied Psychology and works as a Human Factors Engineer. Ivonne’s roots are from Latino America: Mexico and El Salvador, where her parents came from. As a first generation college graduate, the stories of the girls resonate with Ivonne as their stories are like hers. She is passionate about helping our youth, especially females and people of color achieve success through knowledge and education. As a long time runner, she values CIMI’s mission of helping participants to be stronger and more independent physically and mentally. When she learned about CIMI’s intent to provide technology education to girls, Ivonne signed up to become a facilitator with GWC and has been working closely with CIMI to launch this new program.
If you would like to help these girls invest in their future by learning coding, watch this video and consider becoming a facilitator. To learn more about how your facilitator role fits in with CIMI, please contact Aracely Areas at weruncimi@gmail.com.
We are grateful for the participants of the CIMI Virtual Run/Walk Challenge. Thanks to their generous donation, CIMI is enabling these girls to seed their dreams.
CIMI, Inc.
P.O. Box 1743, Los Gatos, CA, 95031
weruncimi@gmail.com
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