Social Good Summit 2016: 13 year-old coder Isabel Sieh on technology and the future

Summary

In this inspiring speech, 13-year-old Isabelle C, founder of 'Girls Will Code,' shares her journey in coding and her mission to promote gender equality in technology. Starting coding at age 10, she created an app that won her a Star Wars costume contest and later launched her initiative to teach coding in the Philippines. Isabelle emphasizes the importance of community in learning and aims to integrate coding into schools, encouraging girls to code and solve global issues. She calls for support from companies, schools, parents, and individuals to foster coding education and close the gender gap in technology.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Isabelle C, at just 13 years old, founded 'Girls Will Code', a company aimed at promoting coding among girls.
• 💡 Isabelle started coding at the age of 10 and has learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and is currently learning Python.
• 🏆 Coding helped Isabelle win a Star Wars costume contest by creating an app that made R2-D2 sounds.
• 🤔 Isabelle faced challenges in learning coding alone and found online forums confusing, which led her to the realization of the importance of community learning.
• 👩‍💻 She created a simple encoder and decoder program, demonstrating her ability to apply new coding skills.
• 🎮 Isabelle also made a cake baking game using Scratch, a block-based coding platform for kids, showing how friends can contribute to coding projects even without coding knowledge.
• 🌐 'Girls Will Code' in the Philippines was started with the support of the US-based 'Girls Who Code', utilizing their resources.
• 🏫 Isabelle's goal is to have 'Girls Will Code' in all schools to foster a supportive community of girls learning coding.
• 🔧 Isabelle plans to work on outreaches in public schools, teaching coding and promoting the idea of coding communities for girls.
• 🤝 She calls for support from companies, schools, parents, and individuals to encourage coding education and to become ambassadors for 'Girls Will Code'.
• 🎉 Isabelle expresses gratitude to Rappler for their article which helped boost the visibility of 'Girls Will Code'.

Q & A

Who is the main speaker in the transcript?

The main speaker in the transcript is Isabelle, a 13-year-old girl who founded a company called Girls Will Code.

What is the name of the company Isabelle founded and what does it focus on?

Isabelle founded a company called 'Girls Will Code' which focuses on teaching coding to girls and promoting gender equality in technology.

At what age did Isabelle start coding?

Isabelle started coding online when she was 10 years old.

What programming languages has Isabelle learned so far?

Isabelle has learned HTML, CSS, some JavaScript, and is currently learning Python.

How did coding help Isabelle win a Star Wars costume contest?

Coding helped Isabelle win a Star Wars costume contest by creating an app that made R2-D2 sounds when a button was pressed.

What challenges did Isabelle face while learning to code?

Isabelle faced challenges such as confusing forums and feeling stuck to one structure while learning to code.

Why did Isabelle decide to start 'Girls Will Code' in the Philippines?

Isabelle decided to start 'Girls Will Code' in the Philippines because she was based there and wanted to bring the opportunity to join such a community to girls in her country.

What is Isabelle's big aim for 'Girls Will Code'?

Isabelle's big aim for 'Girls Will Code' is to have it in all schools, encouraging all girls to be in a community that supports each other in coding.

What are some of the initiatives Isabelle wants to implement to promote coding among girls?

Isabelle wants to continue working in outreaches in public schools, present her idea of having a community of girls to code, find student and teacher ambassadors, and have a 'Girls Will Code' day.

How does Isabelle plan to involve others in supporting 'Girls Will Code'?

Isabelle plans to involve companies by providing teachers or support, schools by adopting coding as an after-school activity, parents by supporting their children's learning to code, and kids by finding resources online and joining activities to learn coding.

What recognition has Isabelle received that has helped kickstart her company?

Isabelle received recognition from Rappler, as an article written about her by AA Ray was shared over 78 times on Facebook, which helped kickstart her company.