Austin Partnership Aims To Bolster Women Tech Ranks

AUSTIN, TX — CodeWizardsHQ, the global coding school for youth ages 8-18, has partnered with ChickTech, a national organization serving thousands of girls and women every year through tech programs and events, officials said.

The partnership aims to improve access to technology education to students and broaden the impact of ChickTech. ChickTech & CodeWizardsHQ are working together to create a road map for local ChickTech Chapters to involve youth in coding.

"The harder part of getting girls and youth into technology is getting them to try it and experience the fun and joy of programming," organizers wrote in an email. "CodeWizardsHQ offers an introduction to Python class that is designed to do exactly that. We create 'Aha!' moments while exposing students to the wonders of programming, creating a passion for coding."

CodeWizardsHQ and Chicktech plan to bring that introductory programming class to a far broader audience by virtue of that introductory class, officials said.

The introductory class typically costs $39 per student, but will be made available at a partner price of just $20 per student because of the newly formed partnership, officials said. Of that, 50 percent of the class fees will be donated back to ChickTech by CodeWizardsHQ. The funds raised this will help ChickTech continue free youth hands-on, technology workshops for girls, including non-binary and transgender youth, across the country, officials said.

About ChickTech

ChickTech was founded in 2012 to engage women and girls of all ages in the technology industry while working to create a better technology culture for all. ChickTech has made a direct impact on tens of thousands of participants, including girls, women, and men. Their programs include summer camps, ChickTech: High School, Meetup groups for adults in tech, and ACT-W Conferences.

About CodeWizardsHQ

CodeWizardsHQ offers an innovative and pragmatic multi-year curriculum for grades 3-12. For young learners, CodeWizards’ Junior Level focuses on scratch programming while older students participate in a comprehensive course sequence that begins with an introductory programming series that progresses through advanced algorithms and data science. The final year students get real-world experience through an internship or capstone project. Beyond coding, the CodeWizardsHQ educational experience nurtures curiosity and builds confidence through a student-centric pedagogy that includes social and emotional components that foster collaboration, exploration and personal growth.
For more information visit: https://codewizardshq.com/chicktech/.