Girl Scouts Participate In 'Hackathon'

From QU: Area Girl Scouts will participate in a “hackathon” for social good on Saturday, March 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Rocky Top Student Center at Quinnipiac University, 305 Sherman Ave.

The goal of the “hackathon” is to introduce students to technology and to show them how it can be used to create solutions that benefit nonprofit organizations.

“Participants will be working with computer-science mentors, including computer science majors from Quinnipiac, to create technology for social good,” said Patrice Gans, founder and executive director of Random Hacks of Kindness Junior, Inc., one of the event sponsors. “By the end of the day, we hope they will see how technology can have a positive impact on someone’s life.”

Ellyn Savard, Girl Scouts of Connecticut program initiatives manager, said this program fits nicely with her organization’s initiative to introduce its members to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“STEM is a growing field, and the Girl Scouts organization is looking for ways to provide interesting and educational coding activities facilitated by female computer science role models,” Savard said. “Although girls are as capable in any subject and have generally the same interests as boys through elementary school, by middle school girls tend to veer away from STEM subjects in favor of traditionally female pursuits.”

Savard said when women graduate from college and enter the workforce, they hold only 15 percent of computer science jobs. “Much of what drives girls and women away from the field is perception and the lack of role models,” she said. “The Girl Scouts hope that participation in this event will help girls change their perception.”

Throughout the “hackathon,” volunteer mentors from local high schools will work with the girl scouts to devise computer applications to address a range of problems facing local non-profits. Gans said, all of the solutions developed over the course of the day will be considered “open source,” meaning that they are available for use by anyone at no charge.

This event requires no prior coding knowledge. Using MIT App Inventor, students will learn the basics of app design, as well as the ideation and brainstorming process required to build a successful prototype mobile application.

Random Hacks of Kindness Jr. Inc. was developed by Gans as an opportunity to empower and inspire youth to use technology for social good. Gans, a technology educator, organized the first Random Hacks of Kindness Jr. event at the Fraser Woods Montessori School in Newtown in May 2013.

“Our events are geared to providing students with opportunities in computer programming in schools, after-school programs and other settings,” Gans said. “Coding is more than a computer game. Technology really has a purpose.”

For more information, contact Gans at reesegans@gmail.com.

Image Via Pixabay