Mentoring Girls in Computing

Club Description

Mentoring for Girls In Computing is a volunteer organization that offers introductory lessons in coding to students at the Village School, a local Charlottesville middle school for girls. The club is composed of women students at the University of Virginia who have experience or interest in computing science. We hold meetings on grounds at UVA to plan curriculum, and we visit the middle school for an hour each week to teach these lessons. Alongside the lessons, we aim to foster positive relationships with the girls and to be role models for them. Our mission is to inspire young girls to pursue futures in technology through mentorship and hands-on learning experiences. As our organization body is composed of women computer science students, we know from experience the struggles of studying in a male-dominated field. By creating valuable and fun learning experiences, we hope to show them that it is worth it to pursue their interests, no matter the obstacles they come across. Additionally, other engineering and technical subjects will be introduced to the middle schoolers through projects and endeavors, such as Lego Education and guest speakers from female professors at UVA. Those interested in the club but who are not able to attend the Tuesday teaching sessions at the Village School are still encouraged to join MGIC. There are many opportunities to become involved outside of the sessions with the girls, such as curriculum creation and event planning.