Digital Arts Experience Works with White Plains Youth Bureau Girls Academy

From the Digital Arts Experience:

On Saturday March 29th, the Digital Arts Experience hosted the White Plains Youth Bureau Girls Academy. Twenty-three young women participated in the Hour of Code that introduced them to basic computer programming skills.

The girls are learning a program called Scratch. Scratch is a tile-based programming language and online community developed by M.I.T. where students can create their own interactive stories, games, and animations. Mitchel Resnick, leader of Scratch’s creators group says: “The ability to code computer programs is an important part of literacy in today’s society. When people learn to code in Scratch, they learn important strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas.”

The Youth Bureau Girls worked for an hour getting characters from point A to point B on the game. They were very excited and had tons of fun dealing with different levels of complexity while helping each other accomplish the goals of the game. This is the second time this year that the Digital Arts Experience has held an all girls Hour of Code program, in an effort to narrow the gender disparity in computer science.

According to a report written by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2011, two of the fastest-growing occupations are in the computer science occupational group. However, the same report shows that only a fourth of professional computing occupations in the U.S. workforce are held by women. “In a field mostly dominated by boys, girls learning computer programming skills closes the gender gap in the technology field. Coding helps girls to develop their creativity and problem-solving thinking, plus it aids polishing their communication skills,” says Emily Angell, Events Coordinator & Scratch Instructor at the DAE.

White Plains Youth Bureau has been helping youngsters develop their skills since 1970. Their mission is to provide children and youth ages 5 through 24 with the tools they need to become good citizens, and the skills needed to become competent leaders of the 21st century. The Youth Bureau provides opportunities for today's youth to apply their energies and skills, thus enabling them to believe in their futures and themselves.

ABOUT THE DIGITAL ARTS EXPERIENCE: The Digital Arts Experience is Westchester's Creative Hub, combining educational programs in the digital arts, affordable workspace and personalized production services under one roof. It is a community of creative professionals from the aspiring to the seasoned veteran. To learn more about the DAE, visit at www.theDAE.com.

CONTACT: Emily Angell at the Digital Arts Experience - (914) 644-8100 or emily@thedae.com