Sticking to its commitment to empower and enable girls through technology and build greater diversity and gender equality in the IT sector, Microsoft India dedicated its YouthSpark Live to #shedevelopstech to encourage young girls toexplore Computer Science as a future employment opportunity.
The event was hosted in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation and Girls in Tech Foundation and supported by Governments of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and the US Consulate, Hyderabad. #shedevelopstech workshop hopes to help young girls between 18 to 22 years of age, belonging to underserved communities, learn computational thinking – an essential life skill and become equipped with knowledge of computers and coding, further enhancing their career prospects in the ICT industry.
Through the two-day workshop, the girls will be encouraged to find technology based solutions to real problems they face in their community on a daily basis. They will start with developing the logic behind the proposed solution and will be formulating the final workflow for it. The girls will be supported by Girls in Tech Foundation and Microsoft mentors and facilitators helpingthem develop the final solution. At the end of the event, the girls will present their solutions to a jury.
Speaking on the occasion, Manju Dhasmana, Director, Microsoft Philanthropies, India, said,”Participating in coding and computer science is important to support women’s and girls’ role as users and innovators of technologies as well as researchers, scientists and technologists. At Microsoft, when we create technology and tech products, we create for the masses. By having a male perspective consistently leading and developing tech, we are building this through the lens of men and their perspective not the masses. Microsoft YouthSpark seeks to empower all young people, especially those who are at greatest risk of being left behind, by providing access to computer science education and digital skills they need to participate in a world that’s being transformed by technology.”
Today, the IT industry in India has approximately 34% of women employees and there is still a lot to be done to erase this gender disparity. NASSCOM Foundation therefore has been a keen and active partner in this initiative.
Shrikant Sinha, CEO, NASSCOM Foundation, said, “Today, more girls and women are using technology than ever before. But relatively few are playing a role in creating this technology or are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). NASSCOM Foundation, through initiatives like #shedevelopstech, wants to encourage as many girls as possible to take up computer science as a career choice and accelerate their growth, not just in basic coding but also in new age technologies like Big Data, IoT and Artificial Intelligence.”
Girls in Tech Foundation, has been working hard to empower girls of under-served communities to move towards digital awakening and realize their true potential.
The #shedevelopstech is a part if the larger, Microsoft YouthSpark initiative. Since it was launched in 2012, Microsoft YouthSpark has created educational, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for more than 300 million youth around the world.YouthSparkseeks to deliver deep and impactful experiences by enabling young girls to collaborate, inspire and support each other, while using technology to spark change. Microsoft continues to work in partnership with governments, nonprofit organizations and businessesto ensure that all youth have the opportunity to learn computer science
