Local girls recently had the chance to try computer coding. Jamie Reimer was interested in learning how to perform coding and Codemakers gave her the opportunity to do so.

"I thought it be very cool to code some computers. As we get older there's more technology in the world and some of my friends know how to code."

Over the week-long coding camp, Reimer and the other girls were given an introductory course in the world of computer science. Reimer says she learned a lot over the week, with her favourite experience, playing with the learning robot Cozmo.

Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) is an organization whose mandate is to increase the participation and interest of Manitoba youth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) particularly girls and underrepresented youth. To give youth across the province a chance to pursue STEM, WISE Kid-Netic Energy created the Codemakers camp as an introductory program for computer sciences and engineering.

This year Codemakers was offered for free, through the Federal Government's CanCode program. Wise Kid-Netic Energy Director Nusraat Masood explains this creates more options to pursue an interest in technology.

"The Federal government foresees that technology will play a large role in our future employment opportunities. Through the CanCode fund, they're investing in peaking interest in young minds towards technology."

Codemakers recently has been able to be offered in rural communities across Manitoba. Morden had its first Codemakers camp last year. Last year the camp was co-ed; however, no girls had signed up. The decision was made to offer the program exclusively to young girls. 13 girls signed up this year.

Becoming mentors for those wanting to learn more about computer science and engineering further. All the girls were very receptive to the content of the program explains Instructor Alyson Betz.

She says the girls had an affinity towards the Cozmo and the other robots. Having a program like Codemakers opens the door to more females who have a passion for engineering and computers says Betz, as the industry is very male-dominated.

"Especially in post-secondary, it's male-dominated, it's completely male-dominated or at least completely. My example is in my first year coding class, computer science one which is the intro to everything computer science, 100 people and there were five girls."

Betz states these statistics are unacceptable.

WISE through Codemakers hopes that by introducing coding and computer sciences at a young age will show girls that the field is not just for boys. Betz says girls should not have to feel intimidated to enter a specific field, anyone who has a passion and has good ideas should be able to follow that passion.

The WISE Kid-Netic Energy and Codemakers team are excited to be offering this program to youth across the province, giving girls the chance to follow their dreams and try something new.