There is a huge gap in the amount of female coders in the world. The problem does not exist in how companies are hiring; it is a market challenge. There just aren't enough female coders in the labor market. Why is that? Well, we decided to look at a high level and discovered that at early stages of a young girl's life, there is no female coder hero. No idol to look up to and say "that is who I want to be like," and hence, Ella the Engineer was born. Ella is a cartoon concept, whose main focus is to get young kids (specifically girls) exciting about computer science and coding. In each episode, Ella will solve problems that are connected to computers and software in her small town. In the end, kids will go off with a coding challenge that they can solve on their own time via a website, an app, or on paper.
The campaign is currently on Indiegogo. It was part of International Women's Day and is in partnership with Girl Develop It. We are looking to raise 25,000 to help support producing a pilot episode.
We are excited to take Ella from concept to reality and hope to see it on a kids' network in the near future. You can donate here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ella-the-engineer-pilot-episode
See a video interview from The Debrief with David Ushery here: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/251978121.html
For more information on Ella, visit http://www.slideshare.net/anthonyonesto/ella-the-engineer-concept
More and more people are arguing that coding is a universal language, and it should be taught to children at a young age so that they can be empowered. Coding will be no different than reading and writing in the very near future. Why don't you help us expedite this process and encourage young girls to embrace their coding genuises? Looking forward to embarking on this adventure together!
Ella the Engineer, Creator
