DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Girls Who Code is an international program that helps introduce elementary-aged girls and older to the language of coding. Local organizations host camps or other events to introduce students to the basics of coding and how it is used.
"A big goal of Girls Who Code is just to get girls more excited about STEM and to make it more accessible for them," said Melanie Bilbrey-Snively, the Director of Education with the Children's Museum of Illinois. "So to hear that it's working and that they're excited to continue with this, it just really feels good."
Sisters Phoebe and Sophie Smith were part of the summer Girls Who Code Camp at the Children's Museum of Illinois. The sisters were excited to have the opportunity to connect with other girls who like coding and similar topics.
"You get to learn how to do different codes and make different games," said Phoebe Smith. We learned Stringer, we learned the binary code, we learned a lot of stuff about computers. It was really fun because you got to compare games and learn about each other's different stuff."
It is a great opportunity for participants to see all of the careers that are connected to STEM knowledge. For participants like Sophie, it is a chance to see possibilities beyond traditional careers.
"We did a project about dream jobs at school, and it was interesting to see how the boys had more STEM jobs," said Sophie Smith. "They were astronauts, I think there were some who wanted to be an astrophysicist, and the girls were teachers and statisticians and nail techs. It's just crazy to see that finally, there's like a community of girls who actually wants to do this."
The Children's Museum of Illinois hosts several STEM-based activities and camps over the school year and summer. They are launching a new session of Girls Who Code next week. For more information about those programs, you can visit their website.
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