Ladies Learning Code Wants Your Help to Bridge the Digital Divide for Youth

This holiday season, Ladies Learning Code is asking for your help to bridge the digital divide for hundreds of youth from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto in 2014.

It’s no secret : digital literacy opens up a world of opportunity for youth. From success in school now, to success in the workplace later, equipping kids with technical skills is one of the best investments we can make in our community.

But for far too many children, technology education is out of reach. Today, nearly 50% of Girls Learning Code and Kids Learning Code participants attend our workshops, camps, and events thanks to a full or partial scholarship. But we want to do more, and we need your help to do it!

This season, we are asking for your help to give youth from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto access to the education of a lifetime. For as little as $30, you can help get a child on the path to a promising future. For a little more, you can send a youth to multiple Girls Learning Code or Kids Learning Code workshops or camps in 2014. All workshops are beginner-friendly and laptops will be provided.

Allison Boughner, Director of Service Delivery for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto had this to say about the program: “I am excited for our youth to be exposed to career opportunities with the focus on technology. These opportunities can turn a youth’s passion and interest in social media and technology in a positive direction. These workshops can help to ignite this passion and show our youth the steps towards turning this into a potential career choice.”

We know they’ll have fun, but like Allison said, the experience could also change their life.

There are four ways to give this holiday season:

$30 – Send a girl or boy from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto to a workshop! For $30, you can send one girl or boy to a full-day workshop where they will learn important coding skills and meet new friends.

$150 – Send a girl or boy from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto to five workshops! For $150, you can send one girl or boy to five different full-day workshops. From game-making to HTML and CSS and beyond, you will be giving a child a solid foundation to learn and grow.

$500 – Send a girl or boy from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto to four workshops and one whole week of camp.

For $500, you can give an entire year of digital learning to a deserving child in need. Get your neighbours, colleagues, or family together to give the gift of opportunity, friendship and self-esteem to a future innovator.

$1,000 – Send two youth from Big Brothers Big Sisters Toronto to four workshops and one week of camp each.

Give the gift of code to not one, but two deserving kids! This is a great option for an office, a team, or a community group to come together to make a real change in the lives of children in our own community.

Not only will your sponsored youth attend five workshops, they will also get to attend a week-long summer camp of their choice, ranging from game making, to digital journalism, to design, multimedia and more.

Please visit here to make your donation. You can also make the donation in the name of a loved one, colleague, or neighbour—it makes a great gift for someone who doesn’t need anything.

These gifts of learning have the power to transform the way a child sees themself and their place in the world around them. What better present can you think of?

Donors will be recognized on the Girls Learning Code or Kids Learning Code website, and as our special thank you, all of our donors will be invited to a special open house at The Lab (483 Queen Street West, Toronto) on September 21, 2014 from 1pm to 4pm where they will get to meet the youth that benefitted from this program and your generous donations, and check out the incredible projects that they have built!

Questions? Please contact Nicole Belanger at nicole@ladieslearningcode.com.