WEBVTT - Girls Who Code 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.800 Good morning, peeps, and welcome to woke F Daily with 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:19.239 me your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Long Island Bunker. 0:00:19.520 --> 0:00:21.680 You know, I often say to you that you need 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:23.680 to take a break so that you do not have 0:00:23.720 --> 0:00:27.960 a breakdown. And with all of the compacted crises that 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:31.440 we are dealing with at this time and making the 0:00:31.520 --> 0:00:36.280 march to midterms, there never seems like the right time 0:00:36.600 --> 0:00:40.680 to take a break. But I say that you have 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:45.080 to make that time. And so for me, dear friends 0:00:45.159 --> 0:00:48.120 here on woke F, I am going to be taking 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:51.800 a much needed vacation so that I can rest and 0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.440 recharge as we head into what I believe is going 0:00:55.520 --> 0:00:58.960 to be one of the craziest falls we've ever seen. 0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:04.000 I have left you with eight amazing episodes that we 0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:08.319 have recorded back in twenty twenty one with some of 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:14.959 the most thoughtful, engaging and insightful commentary that looks at 0:01:15.000 --> 0:01:20.200 our politics, our spiritual nature, our emotional well being, and 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:23.960 a look inside frankly with some of the guests that 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:28.440 we are bringing to all of you. These conversations have 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:33.759 been heard by our amazing Patreon supporters who get video 0:01:33.880 --> 0:01:39.640 episodes every single day. Because of their belief and financial 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:43.560 support of woke F throughout the years, and so I'm 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:46.840 really excited to bring all of you across all the 0:01:46.880 --> 0:01:50.639 platforms that you listen to woke F daily on these 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:55.480 episodes and these interviews that I think will be enticing 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:57.560 to all of you. They hit on all of the 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:02.600 major topics that we consistently discuss here on woke F, 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:08.680 from racism to gender inequality, to police misconduct to wealth inequality, 0:02:08.760 --> 0:02:11.600 which my God, and the need and the need and 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:16.320 the need upmost for spiritual connection and wellness practices that 0:02:16.440 --> 0:02:22.560 allow us to successfully maneuver all of the things that 0:02:22.600 --> 0:02:25.359 have been thrown at us over the past couple of years. 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:29.040 And so, friends, while I will be out from the show, 0:02:29.160 --> 0:02:32.640 I will not be out of sight for the next 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:35.120 several days, and so you can continue to follow me 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:39.280 on Instagram and on Twitter at D two Cents, D 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.639 E two c E n TF. Of course, I will 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:46.520 be dropping in with my two cents and you can 0:02:46.680 --> 0:02:50.520 check me out on TikTok, where I'm sure certain that 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:53.040 I will drop a few videos in the next couple 0:02:53.080 --> 0:02:55.880 of days, and there you can find me at Danielle 0:02:56.040 --> 0:03:01.160 Moody Underscore. I hope that you all enjoy these next 0:03:01.240 --> 0:03:05.080 fantastic episodes that we have. Do drop your thoughts in 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:08.079 the comments section, do hit me up in the socials. 0:03:08.160 --> 0:03:10.960 Just don't draw my attention to anything that is terrible 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:15.000 because I'm taking a break from the news. But dear friends, 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.960 I really do hope that you enjoy these next eight 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:22.600 episodes and I will see you with brand new episodes 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:27.560 after Labor Day. It's no secret that the news is 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:31.640 horsepill hard to swallow. Thankfully, there's The Bituation Room podcast 0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:35.440 hosted by comedian and commentator Francesca free Er and Tini 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:38.200 for a lighter take on the heavy stuff. Each week, 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:42.200 The Bituation Room brings you progressive comedians, experts, and activists 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:44.160 to break down the issues in a way that won't 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:46.800 just leave you crying under a weighted blanket. Get The 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.880 Bituation Room on Apple Podcasts, Scotify, Stitcher and streaming on 0:03:50.960 --> 0:03:58.720 YouTube and Twitch. Hey, I'm David Plots of Slaves. Political 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:03.880 Gabfest another election season accelerates. It can be tricky to 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:06.880 sort through all the noise and the news. Each week 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:09.440 on the gap Fest, John Dickerson, Emily Bathlona and I 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.280 decipher the headlines break down the races and tell you 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:16.400 what issues really matter. We do not always agree, We 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:20.280 definitely do not always agree, but we always deliver thoughtful 0:04:20.320 --> 0:04:23.280 debate and we always have a good time. So subscribe 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:28.560 to Slates Political Gapfest new episodes every Thursday, folks. I 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:33.359 am so excited to be joined on woke FFI daily 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:39.159 with the newly anointed CEO of Girls Who Code, doctor 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:45.599 Terica Barrett. Welcome to woke f and congratulations on your 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:51.080 new position. You were co of Girls Who Code, which 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:56.120 is an international organization dedicated to connecting young girls two 0:04:56.120 --> 0:05:00.159 computer skills to technology and giving them the ability to 0:05:00.279 --> 0:05:03.480 succeed in the twenty first century in an area that 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:08.839 is largely dominated still by men and mostly white men 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.880 and boys. Tell us about what it means to take 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:18.080 on this role at this time, in the midst of 0:05:18.200 --> 0:05:22.680 a pandemic, when we are at the height of remote 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:27.120 learning essentially everywhere, not just in this country in the 0:05:27.200 --> 0:05:33.480 United States, but your organization globally represents girls around the world. 0:05:33.800 --> 0:05:36.960 This is a situation that we're dealing with globally. What 0:05:37.080 --> 0:05:42.520 does this undertaking mean to you at this particular moment, Danielle, First, 0:05:42.560 --> 0:05:46.560 thank you for your wonderful introduction. Your excitement is infectious 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.599 and I can't tell you how energized I am to 0:05:49.680 --> 0:05:53.080 be stepping into this role of CEO at Girls who Code. 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:56.520 Everything you're saying about what this moment represents is true 0:05:56.960 --> 0:06:00.279 and for me, you know, COVID has really laid bear 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:03.359 the inequities that so many of our girls and our women, 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:07.000 especially our girls and women of color, are facing, both 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:09.839 in school and in the workplace. You know, as a 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.520 lifelong educator and equity advocate, and as someone who's helped 0:06:13.600 --> 0:06:16.000 lead Girls who Code now for the past five years. 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:20.480 As challenging as this past year has been with the 0:06:20.560 --> 0:06:24.560 layers of inequity, I also feel energized to build on 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:28.760 this incredible foundation that Rushma has laid to close this 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:32.159 widening gender gap in tech. You know, as you pointed out, 0:06:32.200 --> 0:06:35.919 a space that is typically you know, white, male dominated, 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:39.080 and we have worked so hard over close to nine 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.920 years now to build this incredible movement of girls and 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:46.000 women who now see a path forward in tech. And 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:49.320 as CEO stepping into this seat, it is my job 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:53.400 to harness that movement and really expand and extend the 0:06:53.440 --> 0:06:56.239 pipeline so that more girls and women and especially girls 0:06:56.240 --> 0:06:59.520 and women of color, have opportunity. And you know, it 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:02.719 means tangible things like tripling the number of after school 0:07:02.720 --> 0:07:05.160 clubs that we launch over the next few years. It 0:07:05.240 --> 0:07:09.840 also means launching workforce development programs and mentorship programs so 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:12.040 that our young women know that we're going to support 0:07:12.080 --> 0:07:15.680 them as they move into the workforce. We know that 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:18.480 as bad as things are now, tech is still going 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.960 to be central to the job markets recovery, and we 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:25.080 can't have our girls and women, especially our girls and 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:28.680 women of color, being left out when these opportunities present. 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:33.000 So this moment is dire, it is urgent, and as 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.120 I step into this seat, I want to make sure 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:37.760 that our most marginalized girls, the ones who've dropped out 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:41.200 of remote learning opportunities, that we are paying attention to 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:46.000 them and supporting them in our work moving forward. You know, 0:07:46.080 --> 0:07:48.400 let's talk about that for a minute, the fact that 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:53.680 young girls are dropping out of learning. You know, UNICEF 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:59.520 estimates that we're looking at roughly twenty million secondary school 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:05.160 age girls around the globe, around twenty million dropping out 0:08:05.200 --> 0:08:09.040 of school because of the pandemic. We hear reports in 0:08:09.080 --> 0:08:13.440 the United States with at least two million women dropping 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:18.280 out of the workforce because of the pandemic. Why do 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:22.600 you think that this is affecting girls and women more 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:27.000 so than it is any other demographic And what is 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:31.280 Girls who Code doing in order to stemmy this, to 0:08:31.400 --> 0:08:35.280 stop it from happening, or at least bring attention to 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:38.719 the fact that it is happening. Yeah, Danielle, I'm so 0:08:38.760 --> 0:08:41.920 grateful for that question. You know, if we think about it, 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:45.480 our girls and young women are the caregivers. They're the 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.040 ones who are often turned to in families to support, 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.280 to take care of siblings, to take care of parents. 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.199 It's also connected to the culture shift that Girls who 0:08:56.200 --> 0:08:59.080 Code has been so committed to changing. We know that 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:01.360 when you think about a computer program or a coder, 0:09:01.640 --> 0:09:04.280 you don't think of a girl. They're often not encouraged 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:08.920 by parents, by peers, by teachers. Our education system doesn't 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.680 it's not set up to funnel them into these opportunities. 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:14.720 So in this moment, I find that our girls and 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:17.199 young women are the burden bearers. They're the ones who 0:09:17.200 --> 0:09:20.160 are spoking in and doing all of this work. And 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:22.680 we know what's happening to young women with children. They've 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:26.000 had to step out of the workforce to support families 0:09:26.840 --> 0:09:29.240 ed girls who code. The way that we think about 0:09:29.320 --> 0:09:31.880 this urgent issue is to make sure that all the 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:35.520 programming that we design and that we launched contemplates the 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:39.680 needs and challenges that our girls are facing. So, for example, 0:09:39.800 --> 0:09:43.800 we would run typically a seven week summer immersion program. 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:46.480 We shifted that with COVID to a two week program. 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.080 We surveyed our girls. We checked on what they needed. 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:52.880 Were they taking care of loved ones, did they have 0:09:52.960 --> 0:09:56.200 to do, you know, get earned money on the side, 0:09:56.360 --> 0:09:59.880 Did they have a computer? Did they have access to internet? 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:03.079 We have to make sure that we are asking our 0:10:03.120 --> 0:10:06.240 girls what they need, but that we are also planting 0:10:06.320 --> 0:10:09.480 seeds of hope and remembering that as much as we're 0:10:09.480 --> 0:10:12.920 talking about learning loss in one breath and disengagement and marginalization, 0:10:13.440 --> 0:10:15.920 we know that our girls are going to be the 0:10:16.040 --> 0:10:19.920 key to what gets transformed in this world. You know, passionate, 0:10:19.960 --> 0:10:22.920 ambitious and diverse young women are going to change our workforce. 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:25.520 So we have to continue to invest in them, and 0:10:25.559 --> 0:10:28.320 so at Girls who Code, our programming is very much 0:10:28.360 --> 0:10:31.400 designed to support them in spite of the burdens that 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:34.800 they're facing in this moment with COVID. You know, I 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:40.640 we oftentimes you don't deal with things until we until 0:10:40.679 --> 0:10:43.800 we're in crisis, and the reality is, you know, I 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:48.360 was just speaking with New York City MARYL candidate Maya 0:10:48.440 --> 0:10:53.319 Wiley earlier this week, and in our conversation talking about 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:55.640 New York City Public Schools, who you and I both 0:10:55.679 --> 0:11:01.440 worked for at one time, the largest school district in 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:04.400 the country, she I said to her, you know, we 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:09.320 knew years ago that these communities didn't have broadband. We 0:11:09.440 --> 0:11:13.640 knew years ago that they didn't have the access to technology, 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.839 let alone the devices that we're going to set them 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.920 up for where we are now with remote learning. But 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:24.880 we did nothing. You know, we continue to create pandemic 0:11:25.000 --> 0:11:27.960 on top of crises, on top of pandemic on top 0:11:27.960 --> 0:11:31.040 of crisis, as if we're layering some type of lasagna, 0:11:31.080 --> 0:11:34.200 and the reality is that we have the tools right 0:11:34.280 --> 0:11:37.199 and the awareness to fix it. Why don't we tackle 0:11:37.280 --> 0:11:41.360 these things on the front end. You think that's such 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:44.000 a good question you had me when you set a lasagna. 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:48.880 I've nothing to do with Danielle. I mean, that is 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:51.800 an important question, but I would say that very often. 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.840 You know, inequity is complex, and you know, people deal 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.400 with what's in front of them. When you think about 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.600 this digital divide that you said has been here forever, 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:05.160 that is true. We've always known it, but we decide 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.080 to pay attention to other the gaps in schools or 0:12:08.160 --> 0:12:11.800 other things. And now we're recognizing, like, oh, we wonder 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:14.440 why our black and brown kids were never succeeding in 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:17.600 school when they would go home and they couldn't Google 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:20.880 search up the answer to their homework, just like these 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.400 other kids who had access to high speed internet. So 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:27.719 it's really laid bare the inequities in a really stark way. 0:12:27.760 --> 0:12:31.440 I'm hopeful though that the steps that are being taken 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.240 now to level the playing field. I think it's something 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:38.199 like over a third of you know, black and Latino 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:42.280 students don't have access to computers, you know, and high 0:12:42.280 --> 0:12:45.600 speed internet, and we know that twelve million students don't 0:12:45.640 --> 0:12:49.640 have access to high speed internet overall. This is the 0:12:49.720 --> 0:12:52.360 moment to not only sort of bridge that gap, but 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:55.480 go a step further. We have to take the learnings 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:59.840 that are positive in this moment around learning and digital 0:13:00.440 --> 0:13:02.360 and the ways in which some kids have been given 0:13:03.040 --> 0:13:05.800 some different kinds of engagement and opportunity and we have 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:09.280 to build on that and do even more. I wish 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.040 I knew why folks didn't act on some of these things. 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:14.720 But let's be honest. Racism is real inequity of pop 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.760 and very often it becomes a hierarchy of needs and 0:13:19.040 --> 0:13:21.760 it's a it's a messed up hierarchy. It shouldn't be, 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:25.040 you know this. Instead of that, I would say, access 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:28.160 to high speed internet is a human right. You cannot 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.199 succeed in society without it, and so I'm hopeful that 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:34.160 it's a complete paradigm shift that we're looking at moving forward. 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:36.559 You know, one of the questions that I wanted to 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.120 ask you and next was about that, because I think 0:13:39.160 --> 0:13:40.880 you know what I talk about on woke app is 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:43.839 that there are lots of opportunities that you can see 0:13:43.880 --> 0:13:46.520 in obstacles right if you were looking for them. There 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:48.920 are lots of lessons and learnings that we can take 0:13:49.040 --> 0:13:52.440 from the last year of living in this pandemic of 0:13:52.559 --> 0:13:55.280 having to shift our lives in such a way right 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:59.000 and adapt into a situation that is completely abnormal and 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:02.160 foreign to us, like remote learning. And I think about 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:06.960 the challenges that teachers have, that parents have, and caregivers 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:10.560 have in this moment, not only to take care of 0:14:10.600 --> 0:14:14.800 the emotional well being of children right as you're explaining 0:14:14.840 --> 0:14:18.280 this moment to them, but also their academic needs. What 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:20.480 are some of the things that you think that we 0:14:20.520 --> 0:14:25.360 should take from this moment, take from the last year 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.600 of remote learning, of innovation, building the plane while we're 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:33.480 flying it, that we should take with us as we 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:37.800 move forward in our education because to me, honestly, our 0:14:38.000 --> 0:14:41.840 education system has been very stagnant. It has not adapted 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.760 to the ways in which we are working and living. 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:48.160 Right we're still operating as if we're living in the 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:51.000 twentieth century as it pertains to our education, even in 0:14:51.000 --> 0:14:54.040 just the timing the time that school starts right and 0:14:54.120 --> 0:14:56.400 the time that it ends. So what are some of 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:59.080 the things that you were seeing the girls who code 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:02.800 is seeing that we said, you know what, this obstacle 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.600 presented this opportunity and we should dig more into this. 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.160 I love that question, and I'm proud that there are 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:13.480 educators you being a former educator yourself, who are really 0:15:13.520 --> 0:15:17.680 actively thinking about this. Let's be honest, you know, I 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:20.240 would say a lot of folks kicking and screaming, had 0:15:20.280 --> 0:15:22.520 to figure out how to teach kids in this moment, 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:24.680 And the good news is that we're never ever going 0:15:24.720 --> 0:15:27.880 to go back to what you describe, which is some archaic, 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.160 antiquated way of thinking about things. At Girls who Code. 0:15:31.240 --> 0:15:33.520 What it did for us is that it really broke 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:37.160 down the geographical barriers, especially with our summer immersion program, 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:40.200 which was in person girls going on field trips in 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:43.360 corporate partner spaces. All of a sudden, we could say 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:45.880 to ourselves, what would it mean to reach even more 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:49.360 girls than ever before? And we did. We would typically 0:15:49.400 --> 0:15:52.680 register sixteen hundred girls, and then this past summer we 0:15:52.800 --> 0:15:59.760 register five thousand and most diverse groups. Also quote already 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.320 half of the girls we serve our black latins low income. 0:16:02.360 --> 0:16:04.760 But here we were these rich, diverse classrooms that we 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.600 were able to assemble because of geographical boundaries broke down. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:11.640 And I think every educator has to think about that 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:14.200 in a very similar way. Why is it that some 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:18.000 schools offer ap computer science and some don't. All of 0:16:18.040 --> 0:16:20.960 a sudden, with online learning, we realize you don't have 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:23.040 to do it that way. Why would you deny any 0:16:23.120 --> 0:16:26.720 child access to advanced coursework? So I would say things 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.880 like that, how you group students in terms of levels 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:34.960 and all these things. Leverage the technology for equity, leverage 0:16:34.960 --> 0:16:38.080 the technology for access. There are so many ways in 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.280 which that we can learn from this moment. So I'm 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:43.600 hopeful that folks continue to push themselves and think outside 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:47.080 the box. I really love that question. You know. One 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:51.840 of the problems too that we are seeing is, aside 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:55.600 from the fact that millions of Americans have lost their jobs, right, 0:16:56.480 --> 0:17:00.000 that young people that our college age are trying to 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.879 figure out now how they navigate one uh their higher education, 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.199 but with the understanding that there may not be a 0:17:07.280 --> 0:17:09.600 job on the other side. Right, And this is this 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.280 has been a problem that we've had, We've been facing 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:15.480 on multiple fronts. It's why we talk about debt relief. 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:18.199 It's why we you know, why we talk about the 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:20.600 fact that one should not have to go into debt 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:23.119 in order to get a higher education. One of the 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:26.159 surveys that you all have done in the spring, in 0:17:26.280 --> 0:17:30.320 surveying your alumni is recognizing that thirty percent of those 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:35.040 have either lost jobs or lost opportunities and internships. And 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:37.399 we know that those are what set us up for 0:17:37.440 --> 0:17:41.640 the future. Right, These internships and these opportunities, the exposure 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:46.400 or what allow us to really have fine success. So, 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:50.760 how how is Girls who Code navigating that space? Understanding 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:55.000 that in many ways that the job market has shrunk. Right, 0:17:55.280 --> 0:17:58.040 we know that we've been losing various industries. You're in 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.280 a space where you're you're in the expanded space, but 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:06.080 even still right focusing on technology, they have still seen 0:18:06.400 --> 0:18:11.800 loss in their ability to advance their academic careers. How 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:16.000 are you meeting that challenge? Thank you, As you were talking, 0:18:16.040 --> 0:18:18.280 before I even knew you were going to cite our statistic, 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.399 I was going to say thirty percent our young women. 0:18:22.520 --> 0:18:25.800 It is so stark. The minute that we heard it, 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:28.720 we had to jump into action and think about what 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.879 we could do. I mentioned the fact that we are 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:35.760 deeply committed to workforce. We have over eighty thousand college 0:18:35.800 --> 0:18:38.480 age alums that we have talked to code at Girls 0:18:38.480 --> 0:18:41.720 who Code, and we recognize that supporting that group and 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:45.960 entering the tech workforce and thriving is our agenda. And 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:48.880 so among the things we did, we launched Girls who 0:18:48.920 --> 0:18:51.760 Code Talks, a talk series to just begin to especially 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:54.000 our young women at the beginning of the pandemic who 0:18:54.040 --> 0:18:56.960 hadn't even visited colleges at that point, how did we 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.320 bring the information to them? And again the survey, we 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:03.639 ask them what are you experiencing? And then we immediately 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:06.960 go back as a team and say what can we 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:09.920 do as an organization in this moment? And we have 0:19:10.400 --> 0:19:14.000 you know, a number of generous corporate partners that we 0:19:14.080 --> 0:19:16.199 work with, and we immediately said, what do we need 0:19:16.200 --> 0:19:18.639 to do with you? How do you change this moment 0:19:18.720 --> 0:19:21.360 for our young women who need this desperately, And we're 0:19:21.400 --> 0:19:25.480 proud to say that, you know, when job opportunities evaporated 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:28.520 and internships evaporated, we said, you know what, let's step 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:30.600 into this gap and have a hiring summit. We have 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:33.760 over eight hundred girls participate, you know, just off the gate. 0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:37.919 We also decided to launch a work prep program pilot 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:41.000 that we're doing right now because what you said is true. 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:45.680 It's those experiences, those social networks, getting your feet wet, 0:19:46.000 --> 0:19:49.800 understanding the culture and what's happening at these companies that 0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:53.920 allows our young women to feel confident to also make connections. 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:56.320 We know that things have to change on the culture side. 0:19:56.960 --> 0:19:59.720 That's a whole other conversation in terms of what's happening, 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.040 you know, at tech companies and other companies, but we 0:20:03.119 --> 0:20:05.120 want to make sure that our young women feel supported, 0:20:05.160 --> 0:20:08.680 and so we're making we're providing that connective tissue for them, 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.480 especially in a moment when jobs have evaporated and internships 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:15.080 that have evaporated. I can't say that we've figured it 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:18.000 all out, but we are so deeply committed to this 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:20.520 that we think that these pilots are the beginning of 0:20:20.680 --> 0:20:22.760 deeper work that we're going to do as an organization 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:27.639 moving forward. And as CEO, I am so committed and 0:20:27.680 --> 0:20:29.960 passionate about this issue because I think it's the thing 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.399 that's going to allow us to continue to have the 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:35.719 kind of impact we've had in serving over three hundred 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:38.560 thousand girls with our programming. This is the next frontier 0:20:38.560 --> 0:20:40.800 for girls who code, making sure we get them into 0:20:40.840 --> 0:20:44.479 the tech industry and that they actually stay there. You know, 0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:47.760 I've had the good fortune of being an advisor over 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.280 the last I think five to six years with Lesbians 0:20:51.280 --> 0:20:56.360 Who Tech and Allies and as Lesbians who Tech works 0:20:56.400 --> 0:21:00.680 to integrate the tech industry in a space where queer 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:08.639 women can see themselves and essentially create a culture or 0:21:08.640 --> 0:21:11.320 be a part of a culture where they can bring 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:14.960 their full selves in what are some of the I guess, 0:21:15.000 --> 0:21:20.760 the skills, the counseling that you provide for these girls. 0:21:20.880 --> 0:21:24.200 That isn't just about how you learn how to code, 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:26.800 but I mean a lot of this, like we were 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:31.080 saying before we started, is also about code switching, which 0:21:31.119 --> 0:21:34.680 we know that black and brown girls have to do 0:21:34.880 --> 0:21:37.959 more so than their white counterpart and peers. And that 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:41.480 there isn't It isn't just enough that we know the 0:21:41.560 --> 0:21:45.439 ins and outs of the job, but it's also knowing 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:48.360 enough of how to navigate a culture that doesn't actually 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:51.440 want us to show up as our full selves. And 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:55.320 so how do you how do you educate your girls 0:21:55.359 --> 0:21:59.680 about that so that they stay in they stay in 0:21:59.720 --> 0:22:03.240 this they stay in the workforce, and stay in this industry. 0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:05.719 You know, I love that question, Danielle. And you know, 0:22:05.760 --> 0:22:08.840 we did a study with Accenture where we've learned that 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:12.159 I think it's fifty percent of women who enter the 0:22:12.200 --> 0:22:15.760 tech workforce actually leave within their first five years, which 0:22:15.800 --> 0:22:17.480 is hard to believe in As you said, when you 0:22:17.480 --> 0:22:20.119 think about women of color, queer women of color in 0:22:20.160 --> 0:22:24.520 a space that is not designed for them, not welcoming, 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:27.840 we think our anchors and really exist in the way 0:22:27.840 --> 0:22:30.080 that we just approach the work at girls who code, 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:32.440 So we're not just teaching, as you said, computer science. 0:22:32.480 --> 0:22:35.760 We're teaching girls to lead and to thrive in that 0:22:35.840 --> 0:22:38.600 tech workforce. And so much of that is knowing who 0:22:38.680 --> 0:22:41.800 they are. If you think about our curriculum, and of course, 0:22:41.840 --> 0:22:45.719 the coding is great. Girls build robots, they know, they 0:22:45.760 --> 0:22:48.840 design websites, they do all of this stuff. But guess 0:22:48.840 --> 0:22:52.680 what the secret sauce is. It's the sisterhood. It's the brave, if, 0:22:52.720 --> 0:22:56.080 the resilience, and that we create programs where they understand 0:22:56.080 --> 0:23:00.159 they're showing up as their full selves every day that 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.360 they do either a seven week intensive or a two 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:05.160 week intensive. And I'm proud to say that the projects 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:07.760 that we have at the end are things like where 0:23:07.760 --> 0:23:10.920 do you climb black haircare products? What's going on? Oh yeah? 0:23:11.000 --> 0:23:14.240 They sure yes snatch up their projects and say, okay, 0:23:14.240 --> 0:23:17.240 I need this for myself. But they're the ones solving 0:23:17.359 --> 0:23:22.119 problems like bullying, racism, discrimination, because guess what, girls and 0:23:22.240 --> 0:23:24.879 especially our girls of color, know what's ahead of us 0:23:24.920 --> 0:23:26.920 and the challenges that are going to make this world 0:23:26.920 --> 0:23:30.720 a better place, and so they bring that spirit into 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:34.400 how they enter the tech workforce and listen, it's not enough. 0:23:34.560 --> 0:23:37.200 We know that the tech industry needs a culture reset, 0:23:37.600 --> 0:23:40.800 but we continue as an organization to hold feet to 0:23:40.840 --> 0:23:44.000 the fire in terms of honest and candid conversations with 0:23:44.040 --> 0:23:47.000 our corporate partners and anyone who will listen. And we're 0:23:47.040 --> 0:23:51.120 so grateful for platforms like this one, Danielle. But we're 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:53.160 also making sure on the other side that our girls 0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:56.200