Ten state and local non-profit organizations are participating in Random Hacks of Kindness Jr.'s third annual Girls Coding for A Cause "Hackathon" at Westover School on April 23 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. The event, which is open to girls in grades four through eight, will introduce students to technology and show how it can be used to create solutions that benefit non-profit organizations.
Random Hacks of Kindness Junior is very excited to announce the participation of Fellows from Wesleyen University’s Particelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship in this year’s hackathon at Westover School. The program’s mission is to teach students practical skills for building a community of changemakers and for forging pathways for social entrepreneurs and innovators in and around Connecticut. We are especially pleased to have the participation of three of the 2017 Particelli’s Center Fellow’s; Siri McGuire for Mindscope, Sarah Connolly for Global Girl Connections and Rhea Drozdenko for Dream Chasers.
At the event, students from Westover’s WISE program will serve as volunteer mentors, working with the younger girls to devise computer applications or other technological prototypes that may address a range of problems facing local non-profits. All of the solutions developed over the course of the day will be considered “open source,” Gans noted, meaning that they will be available for use by anyone at no charge. The goals of the event are to raise awareness in the community about the resources available to women and girls and to introduce young girls to the field of computer programming.
The event is free, and lunch and refreshments will be provided. All girls in grades four through eight are invited to attend, but must register in advance by visiting rhokjr.org. Parents who would like their daughters to take part in the hackathon, as well as area non-profit organizations interested in participating, are encouraged to contact Gans at reesegans@gmail.com; they may also visit the Random Hacks of Kindness Jr. website at rhokjr.org.
