GIRLS WHO CODE

WELSH - Young girls who may be interested in a computer science career will have an opportunity to learn a few basic skills through a program being offered at the Welsh Library. Beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 15, girls can meet for after school sessions of Girls Who Code.

“We want to show these young girls that they have other career choice options available to them,” said assistant branch manager Laci Cormier. “So far, our community has expressed a lot of interest in the program and we are happy to offer this education for our local youth.”

According to their website, Girls Who Code is a non-profit organization which aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science by equipping them with the necessary computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities.

" We want to show these young girls that they have other career options available to them.”
– Laci Cormier

“At this time, we are offering the classes to girls in grades 3-5 and seats will be very limited,” said Cormier. “If there is enough people willing to participate, we will possibly make future plans to offer the program to older girls in grades 6-12.”

Cormier said parents will need to attend the first meeting with their daughters so they can see what the class is all about.

“We will require their consent to register the girls and they will also need to provide an email address to sign up,” Cormier said. “That will be the only time the parents will need to be present. The girls can attend the remaining sessions on their own.”

Classes will continue to be held every Wednesday throughout the months of January and February.

“We will meet at 4:30 p.m. each week,” she said. “The class is expected to last approximately 45 minutes.”

Cormier said the library system has provided Chromebooks for the girls to work with.

“During the meetings, we will cover chapters from the Girls Who Code book and do both online and offline activities that will teach the girls the basics of computer programming,” Cormier said. “We will also do computer-related craft projects from time to time.”

She said the Girls Who Code organization welcomes these girls to become part of their sisterhood, forming bonds that can last a lifetime.

“We will do icebreakers that are meant to enable the girls to get to know each other,” said Cormier.

There will be no charge for any girls who would like to participate.

“The class is absolutely free,” said Cormier. “For more information, contact me at the Welsh Library by calling

(337) 734-3262.”