CODE documentary tackles gender and minority gap in tech - Silicon Coast

The Creative Collective is hosting a screening of CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap on 12 May, a film that explores the reasons behind the gender and minority gap in tech. The film highlights breakthrough efforts which are producing more diverse programmers and shows how a more inclusive environment can lead to innovation. CODE asks: what would society gain from having more women and minorities code and how do we get there?

Directed by Robin Hauser Reynolds, the documentary film will be screened at Event Cinemas in Maroochydore and is open to the public.

Expert voices from the worlds of tech, psychology, science, and education are intercut with inspiring stories of women who are engaged in the fight to challenge complacency in the tech industry and have their voices heard. CODE aims to inspire change in mindsets, in the educational system, in startup culture and in the way women see themselves in the field of coding.

Yvette Adams, founder of The Creative Collective,  says the film also delves into the history of computing, highlighting women like Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper who set the stage for today’s technology but have since been written out of this history, tracing what led a female-heavy coding industry to skew heavily male in recent decades.

Ms Adams also encourages local businesses to pay it forward and buy an extra ticket for every ticket they buy, and allow young local students the chance to watch the insightful and hopefully inspiring movie, without the $20 ticket being a barrier to them coming.

“Small gestures like this can change a person’s life. On the Coast we’ve historically relied on traditional industries like construction, real estate, tourism and so on. If we can expose young people to a career path in ICT and encourage them to develop skills in this area, they will discover many future-proof career options, and be able to be a part of the Coast’s growing digital economy,” she said.

Grace Hopper, one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer in 1944.SCREENING DETAILS

Date: Thursday, 12 May 2016

Time: 6:30 pm

Location: Event Cinemas, Maroochydore

Tickets to this special engagement of CODE are available online at https://tugg.com/events/96338 for $21.10 and must be reserved in advance. 
The first 90 tickets will also gain access to the exclusive after party complete with DJs. If people wish to buy a ticket for a student they should buy an extra ticket on this link also in their name, and inform the organisers.

Image: Grace Hopper, one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer in 1944.

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