TORONTO and CALGARY — Today, on International Women’s Day, Hackergal announced in partnership with Shaw Communications it is launching a new student ambassador program in Western Canada and expanding its national hackathon program.
Both programs are designed “to raise awareness and generate enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and computer science education among girls in grades six-through-nine across the country,” reads the press release.
Hackergal was founded in 2015 to help bridge the gender gap in technology and computer science fields by introducing female students to coding through its hackathon programs. With Shaw Communications’ support, the Western Canadian Student Ambassador program will build on Hackergal’s existing network by providing girls with ongoing training workshops, industry connections, internships and scholarship opportunities.
“The Student Ambassador Program is a community for like-minded girls to be inspired, supported, and connected to industry experts and opportunities as they pursue technology-related studies,” said Lucy Ho, co-founder and executive director of Hackergal, in the press release. “These ambassadors are Canada’s change-makers, storytellers, and future leaders, and we are excited to partner with Shaw to launch this program in Western Canada to support the growing number of girls who wish to further their STEM and computer science education.”
As a regional partner, Shaw will also support Hackergal’s national all-girls hackathon, with Hackergal expanding its programming to support girls in Western Canada with the goal to provide coding education to more than 3,000 girls over the next two years.
“By providing interesting and engaging material through their Hackathons and Student Ambassador program, Hackergal is inspiring young girls across Canada to pursue careers in science and technology — helping to make the gender gap in these fields a thing of the past,” said Chethan Lakshman, vice-president of external affairs at Shaw Communications.
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