TechGirlz will hold a summit ‘for girls, by girls’ in the spring

As TechGirlz celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2020, the organization will host a daylong tech summit “for girls, by girls” ages 12 to 19 in the spring, it announced Tuesday.

Over its decade as a tech education nonprofit, TechGirlz has produced free events, workshops and open-source technology courses, all aimed at exposing young middle and high school girls to life as technologists.

The inaugural Girls in Tech Summit will take place on April 25 next year in Philadelphia, “with a deep focus on technology instruction and mentorship,” the organization said. True to the org’s mission, all attendees will be middle and high school girls who are interested in tech and entrepreneurship.

Speakers, too.

“As we approach our ten-year anniversary, the Girls in Tech Summit provides a vehicle for girls to showcase what they’ve learned while empowering them to build their own unique event that speaks to their particular technology interests and passions,” TechGirlz Director Amy Cliett said in a statement.

The organization also announced that in October, it reached a milestone of 20,000 students in its programs — “far earlier than originally expected.”

“Inspiring and training a coming generation of female technologists is the key to erasing America’s technology workforce gap,” founder Tracey Welson-Rossman said. “Our approach speaks to the unique ways that girls learn and makes it easy for them, their families, and volunteer instructors to become part of the solution.”

TechGirlz is encouraging young women who are interested in presenting on “technology topics, trends or their own creations” to submit a speaking proposal by Jan. 30. Submissions will be reviewed by the TechGirlz Teen Advisory Board and should follow three general tracks: Tech Entrepreneurship, Fun and Games, and How It Works. Students interested in signing up for a talk or learning more can do so here.