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Overview
Overview
Black Girls Code South Africa is a program that helps young Black girls learn coding and technology skills. This program works to address issues such as limited access to quality education and the internet in many communities. These programs range from workshops to hackathons, targeting girls aged 7 to 17 years.
Black Girls Code South Africa is a program that helps young Black girls learn coding and technology skills. This program works to address issues such as limited access to quality education and the internet in many communities. These programs range from workshops to hackathons, targeting girls aged 7 to 17 years.
Background
Background
The South African
For girls, including black ones, there are barriers such as socio-cultural gender biases, a lack of female role models in STEM fields, and economic costs to pursue technology studies.
For girls, including black ones, there are barriers such as socio-cultural gender biases, a lack of female role models in STEM fields, and economic costs to pursue technology studies.
Overview
Black Girls Code South Africa is a program that helps young Black girls learn coding and technology skills. This program works to address issues such as limited access to quality education and the internet in many communities. These programs range from workshops to hackathons, targeting girls aged 7 to 17 years.
Background
The South African educational system to this day is a reflection of apartheid’s unequal structure, with less funding being allocated to Black schools, a lack of science equipment, and limited exposure to technical subjects. Since 1994, there has been an increase in access to educational opportunities, but inequality is evident in STEM subjects.
For girls, including black ones, there are barriers such as socio-cultural gender biases, a lack of female role models in STEM fields, and economic costs to pursue technology studies.
The technology industry is one of the growing sectors within South Africa, but women and, more specifically, Black women are grossly underrepresented in the technology fields of software development, robotics, and cybersecurity. This challenge led to a social context within which community-driven STEAM organizations such as Black Girls CODE play a crucial role within society to resolve and close the technology gaps.
Founding and Development
BGC was founded in 2011 by electrical engineer Kimberly Bryant to help girls of color in the U.S. learn coding and computing skills. Between 2015 and 2017, with growing interest from other countries, volunteers and educators started running similar workshops in South Africa.
The South Africa branch functions through partnerships between South Africa’s universities, technology hubs, and corporate sponsorships including telecommunications and software corporations. These partnerships enable BGC-South Africa to provide girls access to free or low-cost programming activities.
Over time, this branch has grown to offer other training opportunities in robotics training, artificial intelligence knowledge, cybersecurity fundamentals, mobile app development, and creative STEAM experiences. It is also engaged in initiatives across the continent that help create awareness for black women in technology.
The objectives of Black Girls CODE South Africa are to:
More Black girls are studying and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics.
Provide girls with introductory experiences in computer science.
Establish a supportive community of mentors, educators, and female role models in the African tech setting.
Remove barriers to technology access by providing affordable and relevant programming.
Emphasize the ‘Digital Empowerment as Social and Economic Transformation’.
1. Coding Workshops
Weekend or holiday workshops teach Python, Scratch, HTML/CSS, mobile app design, and game development at university labs or community tech centers.
2. Hack
These hackathons focus on projects, helping participants be more creative, work together, and solve problems. Examples of themes include water access, preventing gender-based violence, and building sustainable cities.
3. Robotics & Engineering programs
The program gives participants hands-on training in the construction and programming of robotics kits. These workshops fill the gap in practical science, technology, engineering, and math education currently not provided for in the schools of South Africa.
4. Mentorship and Career Exposure
BGC South Africa connects members with Black women engineers, software developers, entrepreneurs, and researchers. Members are exposed to technology ventures through career days and company visits.
5. STEAM:
Creative Initiatives: some chapters go to STEM by add art and design such as music technology, and 3D printing
Digital Equity & Access Initiatives: In communities with fewer resources, the program works with schools to give students better access to computers and the internet. Also, to help the teachers with training.
Effect
The impact of Black Girls CODE – South Africa has reached many girls across different provinces.
The outcomes include:
More interest is shown in pursuing Computer Science and Engineering.
Improved digital literacy skills among girls with limited exposure in school.
An increasing number of young girls from a minority background have been participating in robotics competitions and coding activities.
More representation of black women figures within the scientific and technological fields in South Africa.
Expanded networking among schools, technology hubs, and corporate sponsors for the purposes of advancing gender equity in technology.
It also contributes to discussions on digital inclusion, employability of youth, and the future of the technology workforce in South Africa.
Criticisms and Challenges Despite its wide acceptance, there are several issues that this initiative faces: Resource constraints: Access to dependable internet connections, computer laboratories, and equipment varies from area to area. Sustainability: The programs are in need of volunteers and financial support, making long-term planning quite difficult. Transport barriers: Most girls travel long distances to get to the workshops, which therefore means that there are infrastructural barriers.
Scale: there is too many girls who want the STEM programs than organization can reach, especially in township
Gender stereotypes: many people still believe girls aren’t for science, technology, engineering, they just believe which limits the opportunities available to them.
References
African Union Scientific, Technical & Research Commission. (2015). Towards women participation in scientific research in Africa. African Union Press.
Black Girls CODE. (2023). Annual report. Black Girls CODE. Retrieved from https://www.wearebgc.org/news/bgc-2023-annual-report
Bondy, H. (2019, September 10). How Black Girls CODE became an international movement. MSNBC / Know Your Value. Retrieved from https://www.msnbc.com/know-your-value/how-black-girls-code-transformed-basement-experiment-international-movement-n1103431
Govender, R., de Beer, J., Maarman, R., & Chetty, R. (Eds.). (2024). Future-proofing STEAME education in South Africa. AOSIS.
Msimanga, A., & Ramnarain, U. (2020). Gendered barriers to STEM participation in South African schools. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 24(3), 319–332.
Ndileka, M. (2022). Experiences of African women doctoral students in STEM disciplines in South African universities. Higher Education, 84(5), 1025–1042.
Olaniran, S. O. (2017). Digital inequality and access to technology in South Africa. Information Technologies & International Development, 13, 128–142.
Pearson, W., & Reddy, V. (Eds.). (2021). Social justice and education in the 21st century: Research from South Africa and the United States. Springer.
SXSW Staff. (2019, March 12). How Black Girls CODE is bridging the digital divide. SXSW World. Retrieved from https://www.sxsw.com/world/2019/how-black-girls-code-is-bridging-the-digital-divide
UNESCO. (2019). Cracking the code: Girls’ and women’s education in STEM in Africa. UNESCO Publishing.
UN Women. (2023). African Girls Can Code Initiative: Phase II Report. UN Women Africa.
GirlCode South Africa. (2023). Annual impact report. GirlCode. Retrieved from https://cms.girlcode.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2023-Annual-Impact-Report.pdf
AfroTech Staff. (2022, June 14). Black Girls Code launches free “Code Along Jr.” program. AfroTech. Retrieved from https://afrotech.com/black-girls-code-code-along-jr
