The Girls Programming Network (GPN) is an established not for profit program currently run by girls from the University of Sydney to give girls a network that aims to develop and support interest and skills in computing literacy in a friendly peer environment.
This initiative is expanding to Canberra under the sponsorship of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), with the goal to
increase interest in Computer Science amongst female students and give them insight into future career opportunities. The GPN is merely one of the projects underway across Australia to hopefully halt the decline of female participants in the digital workforce and given the current political interest, this comes to Canberra not a moment too soon.
The Canberra GPN’s flagship activity will be a one-day computing
workshop, to be held on a weekend and tutored by female role models from ASD,
academia and industry. It is intended to be a regular event, with female students from years 8 to 10 encouraged to apply. No previous knowledge of programming or computing is required; the workshops are designed to assist development of skills that align with the Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum.
The
inaugural Canberra GPN will be held this year:
Date: Sunday 15 May 2016, 10am-4pm
Location:
The DISH at
Level 1, 10 Richmond Avenue, Canberra Airport
Cost: Free
Interested UCHSK parties are encouraged to speak to Principal Lana Read for more information and further enquiries about the program can be forwarded to Joan Gilbert at ASD.DISH@defence.gov.au