Free Programming Workshop

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Django Girls

If you want to learn how to make websites, we have good news for you: we are holding a two-day workshop for beginners!

It will take place in April 12th - 13th at The Source in Grand Rapids, MI.

We believe the IT industry will greatly benefit from bringing more women into technology. We are trans-inclusive and encourage applications from all women and non-binary people. We want to give you an opportunity to learn how to program and possibly start on your way to become a programmer!

Workshops are free of charge thanks to our sponsors. Applications are open until March 29th.

Applications:

Anyone can apply for our event! You'll only need to bring your laptop. If you don't have one but are very motivated and intersted in participating, we encourage you to apply anyway and we will try to accommodate you. You don't need to know any technical stuff – our workshop is for people who are new to programming.

Schedule:

Friday April 12th: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

  • Sign-in, Meet your team, Listen to a Short Welcome talk and Set up Computers

Saturday April 13th: 9:00am - 5:00pm

  • Everyone will be working on the Tutorial at their own pace. We will have breaks sprinkled throughout the day for food, rest, and talks by guest speakers.

We have space for only 40 people, so make sure to fill out the form very carefully!

Applications have finished for this time around but please checkout our site for more events and ways to connect.

FAQs - Question not answered here? Write us!

Do I need to know anything about websites or programming?

No! Workshops are for beginners. You don’t need to know anything about it. However, if you have a little bit of technical knowledge (i.e. you know what HTML or CSS are) you still can apply!

I am not living in Grand Rapids, can I attend?

Of course! If you're confident you can come, go ahead and apply!

Should I bring my own laptop?

Yes. We have no hardware, so we expect you to bring your computer with you. If you don't have one, please email us and we will try to make arrangements. We feel it's also important that you will take home everything you’ll write and create during workshops, which is much easier to do if you have your own laptop.

Do I need to have something installed on my laptop?

It would be helpful to have Django installed before workshops, but we don't expect you to install anything on your own. We will make sure that one of our coaches will help you with this task.

Can I apply if I'm not a woman?

Everyone can apply and is welcome at Django Girls events. However, women, LGBTQ, POC and other under-represented groups will be considered first. Please refer to this post for more information on our policies.

Is food provided?

Yes. Thanks to our sponsors, snacks and lunch will be served during workshops.

Django Girls Grand Rapids' Philosophy

Django Girls Grand Rapids' Goals

  1. Inspire women to fall in love with programming
  2. Support and mentor those that want to continue their programming after the workshop
  3. Build a revolving community: students become mentors
  4. Increase the presence of women and individuals from underrepresented groups in technology fields
  5. Create a safe, non-threatening environment in the local tech communities

Who is this workshop for?

Django Girls is an organization that engages with people of all experience levels and helps them learn in a safe, supportive environment free of gender bias. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • people in socioeconomically suppressed communities looking to enrich their skill set
  • people looking to change careers
  • people in the field that want to add a new language to their resume
  • people in administrative/supportive roles in corporations that would benefit from a basic understanding of programmming
  • people who are students that desire to learn more in order to help their educational experience
  • people who look to have more of an understanding of the process/best practices of this industry in order relate to others and increase networking opportunities/community impact
  • people who are small business owners looking to ease the financial burden of technology costs by being able to create solutions independently

Meet the People Making This Possible!

Our Wonderful Organizers


Carla I Melara

Diane Nguyen
@di_winn

Our Awesome Coaches!


Allison Bolen

Beau Furrow

CJ Davis
@crevax

Dan Lindeman
@lindemda

Faith Gee

Jennifer Mabie

Jenn Proos

Steph Carter
@beyondtheteal

Zack Kendra

Be a Coach!

Coach applications are now closed. Thank you to all that applied.

Django Girls

This workshop is a part of bigger initiative: Django Girls. It is a non-profit organization and events are organized by volunteers in different places of the world.

To see the source for the program find us on Github: github.com/DjangoGirls.

If you want to bring Django Girls to your city, drop us a line

Sponsors

We couldn't be here without the support from amazing people and organizations who donated money, knowledge and time to help us make this a reality. If you want to contribute and support our goal,

Reach Out to Become a Sponsor

They already support The Django Girls Foundation ✨✨


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