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Virtual Girls Into Coding #9, 10 & 11- February & March 2021

Virtual Girls Into Coding #9, 10 & 11- February & March 2021

Between February 14th & March 28th we delivered 3 events, Virtual Girls Into Coding No. 9, No. 10 & No. 11. Each event had its own atmosphere & highlights.

Our range of workshops over the three events included:

  • Grabber Robot – This workshop was led by me, Avye. The girls built a robot powered by a Microbit that can be used as a grabber. They added different components, wired it all up, and programed the robot using MakeCode.
  • The Crawlbot – The Crawlbot session was delivered by Llewelyn . The participants had to build a 2-legged crawling robot. Then attach a Microbit controller, use MakeCode blocks to code the legs to move in a lifelike manner. 
  • Exploring 3D Design – Graham led this workshop. This workshop was designed to get the girls quickly up to speed on core skills, best practices – while having an opportunity to explore Blender, SketchUp, Sculptris & TinkerCAD.)
  • Robots and behaviours – This was a fun introduction to creating behaviours for robots & was led by Ben. The girls got to use a robot simulator and programmed a robot with insect-like traits to move around using python code.
  • Creative Coding with Python Turtle – This workshop was led by Rehana. The girls were able to get creative with code. They explored using Python to generate shape & colour, creating their own artistic masterpieces.
  • Microbit Robot – This workshop was led by me, Avye. The girls built a robot powered by a Microbit adding a motor controller board, an ultrasonic sensor, wired the components together, and then programmed it using MicroPython.
  • Make your first game in Python! – This workshop was led by Lauren – The girls learnt how to make the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors game in Python)
  • Robot Simulator – This was led by Sam. The girls got to learn about simple algorithms that help robots travel to where they need to go; they got to write programs in Python, helping their robot to manoeuvre through an online simulator.

Everyone looked really energised after completing their workshops during Virtual Girls Into Coding No. 9 and were all buzzing for the next activity. The feedback received at the end showed us how much they enjoyed the sessions, which all the mentors, including myself, were happy to see. 

For our 10th Virtual Girls Into Coding event, we welcomed a new mentor to the team. Welcome, Lauren Alie!! Lauren ran the “Coding Game” workshop. I first met Lauren when I invited her to talk at a previous event last year, and it’s great to have her on board as a mentor!

Additionally, for our Virtual Girls Into Coding No. 11, I ran a completely new robotics workshop. The workshop was called the “Grabber Robot” and I had to set quite a bit of time aside for designing, prototyping, testing, assembling, and ultimately preparing for my workshop. I made sure everything was well prepared before sending the kits out to the girls and had a lot of fun doing so. While running my workshop, I took note that everyone got to experience the joy of seeing their robot running. I find that it’s always refreshing knowing that the participants are having fun.

Over the course of the 3 events, we were joined by 6 female role models/speakers, all of whom shared their inspiring stories & insights while interacting with the girls through a live Q & A session. The speakers who joined us were:

  • Kerrine Bryan
  • Aoibheann Iseult
  • Rituja Ravikiran
  • Talja Parkinson
  • Emma Chang
  • Augustina Adjei

It felt really great to see and chat virtually with Aaiobheann again! We used to frequently bump into each other at different tech events, but due to the lockdowns, those opportunities have been limited. However, listening to all of the many things she has accomplished since the last time I met her in person was amazing!

Similarly, it was great to see Emma again. Emma and I are both Gen arm2z Ambassadors, so we’ve known each other for some time now. Everyone was blown away after they heard all about her app Timeless and her passion for coding and technology.

Thank you to all of our speakers who joined us; your stories are amazing & priceless!

I’m really pleased with the way all three events panned out and how Girls Into Coding is now reaching girls from all over the world – countries including the USA, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Spain, Ireland, France, India, and of course all over the UK. Once again, thanks to all of the mentors & speakers who help to make these events happen, and to the girls and their parents for their talent, energy &  feedback.

I also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors:

  • Angular London Meetup for sponsoring our 9th Virtual Girls Into Coding event.  
  • BTEGComic ReliefNet for sponsoring our 10th Virtual Girls Into Coding event.
  • Arm for sponsoring our 11th Virtual Girls Into Coding event.

Without this type of support, we could not continue doing what we do.

One last thing, well-done to the winners of our quiz! Thank you everyone and can’t wait for the next one!

Avye

Avye

Hi, my name is Avye and I love making, coding, designing, exploring new technology and swimming! This site is about the things I get to experience, discover and enjoy. Welcome to my world!

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