Chic Geek class teaches Calgary girls to code

A local Calgary organization wants to change the status quo in high-tech industries by teaching young girls the language of computers.

Chic Geek aims to get girls to think outside the box before they get wrapped up in what is popular on the web.

The organization is sponsoring young girls to learn HTML code and computer-based skills and hosted its first Girls Learning Code workshop on Saturday.

"It's really vital that girls learn that they're just as good at technology as boys, because there's not really a lot of women in technologies," said Cayley Dixon, a volunteer at the Chic Geek workshop.

She said working with younger girls is a breath of fresh air because they have none of the inhibitions that hold back older students. 

For girls, like nine-year-old Halle Borden, the workshop represented an exciting opportunity to learn.

"This is my first time doing any websites," she said. "I wanted to learn but most boys are into it and girls ... [are] more into other stuff."

The course was designed specifically with girls in mind, and organizers focused on one of the big differences between how girls and boys view the computer.

According to the organization's website, research suggests girls tend to approach the computer as a tool useful primarily for what it can do while boys tend to view it as a toy or extension of self.

Because of that, the workshop focuses on demonstrating how technology can be used as a means and not just an end. It centres around the theme of "changing the world."

And it's likely Saturday's first class won't be the last based on the feedback from parents and participants.