codebar Norwich - free programming workshops for minority group members in tech

The Pitch

Problem statement

There is a huge diversity problem in tech, with women making up only 20% of the tech workforce. When we look Black women, that number drops even lower to 3%. We are a charity that has been running free programming workshops for minority group members in tech since 2013. Minority being women, non-binary, LGBTQ, and ethnic minorities. Globally we have helped over 18,300 people learn to code, in Norwich alone we helped teach 345 people.

Solution

codebar ran it's first workshop in Norwich on the 8th August 2018 at Digital East Anglia, and we've been running them monthly ever since. Prior to covid we would have between 25-30 people consistently at our workshops, however since the pandemic that number has dropped significantly to between 15-20, one time being as low as 9. With a little bit of funding we'd love to purchase some flyers and distribute them around the Norwich area, we'd also like to put some money into social media marketing. We'd really like to get our numbers back up so that we can help more people pursue their dream of a career in tech.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

So far in Norwich we have organised 32 workshops, monthly since August 2018 (with a little break during covid). We will continue do this but we would like numbers to go back up to what they were pre-covid, but we need some help. We always strive to create a safe space for minorities to come and learn to code. Here is some feedback from a workshop last week "Very useful, as a beginner I didn't know what to expect but I felt welcomed and enabled to engage with getting started with my coding ambitions. My coach was patient and encouraging and answered my questions."

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

150 people

Who will benefit

Expected impact

Women in the UK make up 46% of the workforce, but in technology that number drops significantly to less than 20%. We run this and all our event because we NEED tech to be more diverse. Not just for the people working in them also because the software being produced will be way more accessible. codebar was started by 3 female engineers who were all frustrated at being the only women on their team. Our workshops create a safe space for minorities to learn and they meet and connect with people who look like them. Making them feel that a career in tech is possible for them.

Track record

Please take a look at our recent Impact Report here -> https://impact-report.codebar.io/

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