We started KizCode workshops in Turkey, specifically in underprivileged communities. We are collaborating with some technology companies in Turkey. We are also working with Turkish Airlines to deliver workshops in Africa on how to code. We would like to bring our skills in working with underprivileged communities in Turkey to develop workshops that address the specific needs of migrant communities in the UK, particularly London. Therefore, we use technology not just to promote technical skills, but also to address the integration problem. In this way, we aim to contribute also to economic development. This initiative arises from my own experience as a Kurdish woman in Turkey, I recognised the difficulties and disadvantages facing girls and young women when they try to become independent and earn their own living. When I came to London to progress my education, I recognised the similarity between my own experience and that of young migrant populations in London.

What we'll deliver:

• Contributing to the UK's digital skill base
• Educate girls and young women in disadvantaged communities
• Helping social integration in London
• Addressing the gender inequality in technology
• Establishing a network to aid young women's economic independence
• Improving the mental health of girls and women in minority communities

Why it's a great idea:

The workshops address issues of psychological wellbeing, social integration, and language use (implicit pedagogy) through a focus on coding skills and making skills (explicit pedagogy). They provide an opportunity for intergenerational dialogue between mothers and daughters, in a technical and social context, not a domestic one. The implicit pedagogy concerns how to negotiate the creation of a new social identity, both through learning new technical skills and new means of interaction and how to learn a new language, as well as the new cultural horizons that the language implies. By these means, it is intended that wellbeing, particularly positive mental health, will be engendered through gaining confidence in practice and in social interaction. Evidence from the workshops that have already taken place, for example, in countering the negative effects of domestic violence on girls’ behaviour, establishes the validity of this approach.

Steps to get it done:

• Booking a workshop venue
• Co-ordinating volunteers and workshop facilitator
• Getting the equipment together for a maker workshop