Girls Who Code Campaign Empowers Young Women to ‘Make That Change’ by Pursuing Careers in Tech

Today, Girls Who Code, an international non-profit working to close the gender gap in technology, launched 'Make That Change', a multimedia campaign with a bold new message for girls: when you learn to code, you can make the change you want to see in the world, and, by choosing a tech career, make change in your own life too. 

Each year on International Day of the Girl, Girls Who Code celebrates the incredible power of young women around the world -- the power of uplifting each other in a global sisterhood, and, most importantly, the power of harnessing technology to create the future we want to live in. 

“With my generation, we look up to influencers and artists as having careers where they can make an impact or make money. Just because those careers seem ‘cooler’ than STEM.” said Yula Ye, creative at Mojo Supermarket. “We wanted to show the real side of STEM, with real women that are making change in the world and making change in their bank accounts.”

The campaign kicks-off with a video highlighting real women in STEM who are making change in their communities and Girls Who Code Alumni who are following in their footsteps -- and gives them the glamorous, hip-hop treatment they’ve earned. The women featured include: 

• Tiffany Kelly; founder and CEO at Curastory, a platform helping college athletes monetise their own content.
• Yamilée Toussaint Beach; founder and CEO at STEM From Dance, a non-profit organisation helping Black and Latinx girls discover stem through dance, and IF/THEN Ambassador.
• Roselin Rosario-Meléndez; innovation leader, inventor, polymer chemist, and IF/THEN ambassador.
• Minerva Tantoco; tech entrepreneur, New York City Tech activist, and first chief technology officer for the City of New York.
• Anamita Guha; quantum computing and artificial intelligence product at Facebook, and IF/THEN ambassador. 
• Karina Popovich, head of impact at Makers for Change, founder of INERTIA, junior at Cornell University, and IF/THEN ambassador.
• Emmy Chavez, web designer specialising in Financial Technology, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies.
• Kayla Nicholas; Current Girls Who Code Club Student, web designer for the Lawyer Connection Club, which provides legal resources to youth.
• Daelah Nicholas; Current Girls Who Code Club Student, passionate STEM advocate and future OBGYN working on a science research project alongside college professors and postdoctoral students.

“In recent years, the tech industry has become emblematic of the stark inequalities that exist in this country, led by men focused on greed and egomania rather than on the collective good,” said Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code. “With Make That Change, we want to empower girls to shift the status quo, to pursue careers in tech and wield them as a force for good in the world, while also proudly building an exciting future for themselves. We know that there are women in tech who are already using their skills to better their communities and, at Girls Who Code, we've built an alumni network of 90,000 young women who are ready to do the same. They are the future leaders of the tech industry, and the leaders we deserve.”

Tech jobs are among the fastest growing occupations in the country, and we’re expected to add more than half a million jobs by 2029. Importantly, these jobs pay: the median wage for a tech job is more than double the national median wage. While the wage gap for Black women compared to white men is 63 cents, in the tech industry, Black women make 90 cents to the dollar. Despite this, women make up only 26% of computing jobs, and Black and Latinx women hold only 5.3% of computing jobs.

“The innovative Make That Change campaign is destined to reach young women who may be questioning their interest in STEM and inspire them to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world,” said Nicole Small, CEO of Lyda Hill Philanthropies  and co-founder of the IF/THEN Initiative. “We are proud that four of our 120 talented and accomplished AAAS IF/THEN Ambassadors are featured in such a compelling way in this ground-breaking effort.”