How can we impact violence & hate?

This has been a tough and emotional time for the country and a lot of families. Like so many of you, the Girls Who Code team has been watching the violence play out on TV, on the news, and on social media. We are overcome with emotion and grief.

The shootings feel very personal and close to home for two reasons. First, many of those in the Girls Who Code community — from our students to our teachers, volunteers, and staff — live in places that are impacted by gun violence and hate every day. They see shootings and violence play out not just on the news but in their communities, and many have responded by raising their voices and joining peaceful protests.

Second, we see Girls Who Code as being about more than closing the gender gap in technology. Our organization’s work is part of a broader conversation about justice and equity. Since day one, Girls Who Code has helped girls from all backgrounds access jobs in the digital economy and get a fair shot at economic opportunity and social mobility. We’ve also seen the young women in our programs take on issues that matter to them and become change agents in their communities.

In our programs, we don’t just teach girls how to code, we teach them how to impact the world through computer science. We encourage them to use problem-solving, collaboration, computational thinking, and their creativity to solve some of our nation’s biggest challenges — from a game to help players understand racial bias in the criminal justice system and a website to promote thoughtful discussion of feminism and racism to a new approach to preventing lead poisoning inspired by Flint, Michigan.

This comes at a time when technology-driven solutions has never been more important for our country, whether it’s live-streaming video in the aftermath of shootings or during protests, the President’s push for smart gun technology, or an app to monitor stop and frisk activity.

These are all important steps, but what more can we do? Tell us how you’re using technology, social media, or computer science to address critical issues like violence and hate. And share your ideas for what we can do to help incite change. How can our community of girls, volunteers, teachers, and parents make an impact?

Share your ideas, photos, and stories in the comments below, and let’s start a conversation.

It’s moments like these when the brave stand up, speak out, and act. How we can act with compassion and love and inspire our girls to do the same?

Girls Who Code