STEM jobs are the fastest growing sector in the labor market, yet women are vastly underrepresented in the industry, with only 25% of STEM jobs held by women. Nearly one year ago, President Obama made a call to action to give every student the chance to learn Computer Science, saying, “In the new economy, computer science isn’t an optional skill – it’s a basic skill, right along with the three ‘Rs.’”

To encourage more girl participation in STEM fields, Girl Scouts of Greater New York (GSGNY) has teamed with award-winning Vidcode, a female-owned startup offering a coding app for girls, to create an updated coding tutorial that teaches the basics of the most popular computer programming language on the web – JavaScript. The Hour of Code tutorial, teaches girls to code by adding filters, graphics, text, and music to a personalized video greeting card.  During Computer Education Week (Dec. 5-12) GSGNY is sharing this free resource with other Girl Scout councils. The Hour of Code Tutorial offers:

• Online and offline (“Unplugged”) activities for budding programmers ages 5-9
• A specially-designed online tutorial for girls ages 10-18.

Members can complete the self-guided tutorial and troop leaders will find all the ingredients to host a TechJam, an event to celebrate computer science: interactive activities, directions and resources for parents, leaders, and adult volunteers.

The online tutorial can be found at: https://app.vidcode.io/hourofcode/gs

GSGNY has partnered with Vidcode over the course of the past year to take this step toward expanding Computer Science education, in a uniquely Girl Scout way and they are pleased to share this special version of the app with you.