Though the girls participating in the Girls Inc. of Pinellas After School Enrichment Program are only in elementary school, they are already learning computer programming skills.

  • ITWomen founded in 2002
  • Group partnering with other organizations to provide learning opportunities, connections with mentors

Those information technology skills are what ITWomen of Tampa Bay President Camille Taber hopes the girls will consider turning into a career.

ITWomen of Tampa Bay is a new chapter of a national non-profit organization focused on narrowing the gender gap in technology.

"In today's world where it's very digitally-focused, and everything is technology-centric, if it's not, it will be, we need diversity of thought,” said Taber. “So, we need to provide those opportunities for girls to become technology savvy and to be interested and stay interested in it."

To do that, ITWomen partners with other organizations, like Girls Inc. of Pinellas and Computer Mentors to hold coding camps. The group also connects girls with role models and hopes to eventually offer scholarships.

"Our goal and our mission really is to empower and educate and inspire young girls to become and, much more importantly, stay interested in the technology field," said Taber.

Mackenzie Baird, 15, mentors girls as a student liaison with ITWomen of Tampa Bay.

"I want to push my love and knowledge about computers," said Baird.

The high school sophomore hopes to help close the gap in a very specific IT field: she wants to design video games.

"I find myself in and entirely new world and you can just explore and create," said Baird. “So, then I would like to express that creativity and perhaps create something that others can enjoy just as much as I do."

ITWomen of Tampa Bay hopes making sure girls know computing goes beyond bits and bytes will help peak an interest in information technology.

"If girls want to make money and to make an impact in the world as it's becoming more digital, they'll have plenty of opportunities," said Taber.