Canadian program aims to get more girls coding

In the Smithson household, every day is Girls Learning Code day. 

Take Abi Smithson, for example. At 11-years-old, the Toronto pre-teen already has a solid grasp of basic coding. While other girls her age are surfing the net, Abi can build her own website. 

“It’s fun,” she told Yahoo Canada Finance. 

Officially, those eager to participate in National Girls Learning Code Day will have to wait until Nov. 8. That’s when girls, ages eight to 13, are invited to take part in a free, six-hour introductory coding class being held simultaneously in 15 cities across Canada. More than 700 girls are expected to enroll in the program, which was launched by MasterCard Canada. 

It will be taught by Ladies Learning Code, a non-profit organization that aims to demystify computer programming, and increase women’s involvement and engagement in the tech sector. 

The University of Waterloo, another partner, will also participate by hosting a Python-language coding workshop aimed at students who are in disciplines outside of the science, technology, engineering and math, in an effort to introduce a variety of students to coding in a supportive environment.