Give the Girls a Chance: Support the San Diego Girl Scouts

You have 4 days to help a whole bunch of girls in San Diego learn to code.

Actually, that’s not quite true. You really only have 3 days, and it’s not just “learning to code” in that shallow, “everybody should learn to code” boot camp sense. This is a full-fledged curriculum. It teaches math, physics, programming, product management and marketing through the creation of an adorable cookie-themed video game. It will undoubtedly strengthen the girls’ collaboration skills and give them a sense of what it takes to bring a real game to market.

There’s something for all skill levels: beginners can work using Scratch, while more advanced learners can work on porting the game to iOS, Android and the web.

Some of the girls can’t afford to participate. The program needs a meeting space, computers, dev accounts, and teachers. As of the writing of this post, they have a little under $16,000 left to raise. And with Kickstarter, it’s all or nothing. For as little as $5, you can be a part of empowering a group of girls by giving them the opportunity to gain valuable skills and experience.

I was never a Girl Scout. But if this program had been available to me as a kid, I dang well would have been.

So buy 5 boxes of Tagalongs and Samoas to support your local troop and then hop over to the Marshmallow Run Kickstarter. You’ll be helping improve the tech industry by ensuring its next generation of developers and entrepreneurs is as diverse as its customers.