Chicas en Tecnología

Chicas en Tecnología is closing the gender gap in technology by inspiring teenage girls to become creators and problem solvers instead of just consumers of technology. More than 1,600 girls are part of the Chicas en Tecnologia community. Some projects have been selected for corporate or government sponsorship, while others have been featured in the broadcast media.

Co-founded by Carolina, Chicas en Tecnología runs intensive ‘hack’ style events, as well as longer term after-school programmes. In both cases, girls team up to form groups of three to identify and execute a technology solution to a social problem under the guidance of a mentor. One example of a successful app created through the programme is 5ntar. The 5ntar app aims to reduce street harassment by allowing users to record instances of harassment on a map to identify unsafe areas and increase visibility of the crime. This app was incubated by the Argentine Government and received an award from the Buenos Aires Congress, resulting in substantial media coverage. Other successful projects include the app StopBull, aimed at helping victims of bullying, and InstaStudy, a productivity app that blocks access to distracting applications on your phone. Chicas en Tecnología currently operates 134 weekly clubs in 14 provinces, impacting 1,420 girls. There have been seven editions of the intensive Programming a Better World hack with a total of 192 participants.

Members of Chicas en Tecnología attend regular community meetings where students learn programming, leadership and entrepreneurship with help from the pool of mentors. The older members of the club often return to mentor the younger members once they have become university students. Chicas en Tecnologia is set to expand its programmes to reach more regions in Argentina. The organisation plans to create an ecosystem of schools, mentors, companies and institutions that want to close the gender gap in technology, by providing both the knowledge and tools to close the gap