In what is very good news for girls who want to get into STEM fields, one of Australia’s largest free tech events is coming up in Melbourne – 2000 girls from 73 Victorian schools will attend Go Girl, Go For IT (a biennial event which aims to inspire female students to consider a career in IT).
The numbers for women in STEM are abysmal, to say the least – studies show that only 3% of school girls are considering an IT career and only one in four Australian IT graduates is female. In this digital age, it’s more important than ever to encourage more females into STEM careers. The Go Girl, Go For IT event aims to close the gender gap by fostering an interest in tech at an early age.
Fi Slaven (Program Director for Go Girl, Go For IT) believes that through early exposure, more girls will be open to considering a career in IT –
“There’s a growing body of evidence that shows early exposure to technology can help increase a child’s interest and confidence in STEM subjects. It’s one of the reasons we’ve opened up the event to primary school girls this year – we want to plant the seed of possibility at an early age and show them all the amazing possibilities a career in tech can open up for them.”
“This idea that ‘tech is for boys’ is quite ingrained, and that happens at an early age – in order for us to really start closing the gender gap in IT, we need to address this mindset at the primary school level.”
Students attending Go Girl, Go For IT will:
- Participate in workshops.
- Get their hands on the coolest gadgets.
- Be exposed to possible careers in tech.
- Hear from inspiring speakers.
Among this year’s speakers is Go Girl, Go For IT ambassador Ally Watson, a developer and computer science graduate herself, and co-founder of Melbourne-based Code Like a Girl.
“I kind of fell into computer science and really did feel quite alone in a sea of men for a while there. So it’s exciting that these kinds of events exist now, where we can show young girls that yes, they can have a cool career in IT and there are so many versions of what that might look like.”
I kind of fell into computer science and really did feel quite alone in a sea of men for a while there. So it’s exciting that these kind of events exist now, where we can show young girls that yes, they can have a cool career in IT.
Go Girl, Go For IT is for girls in years 5-12 from regional and metropolitan schools around Victoria. The event will be held on 16th August 2018 from 9 am to 3 pm at The Burwood campus of Deakin University.
The event is now fully booked and registrations are closed, however, limited sponsorship opportunities are still available.
About Go Girl, Go for IT
Go Girl, Go for IT is a fun, free 1-day technology conference for girls in years 5-12 across Australia. They are live in-person events run every two years. https://www.gogirl.org.au/
