Adobe Foundation Gives $200,000 to Expand Non-Profit ChickTech

Portland, Oregon, December 9, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ChickTech, a non-profit organization that encourages girls and women to pursue careers in technology, is the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the 2015 Adobe Foundation Youth Coding Initiative. The gift will allow the volunteer-run organization to hire full-time staff and expand its reach across the United States.

Adobe Foundation Youth Coding Initiative works to diversify the tech talent pool by highlighting the creative and collaborative aspects of computer science to female and minority youth. Through partnerships with other organizations, it strives to connect with youth who have never thought of themselves as computer scientists, and open their minds to the possibilities of such a career choice.

"The Adobe Foundation is excited to be partnering with ChickTech in making an impact on the future of computer coding, We love ChickTech's model of engaging girls who might not see themselves as technically oriented in a program that pairs an effective education with industry role models."

Charley Lewis, Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility at Adobe

Adobe’s support will bolster ChickTech’s signature program, ChickTech: High School, which provides a year-long series of technical and career-oriented workshops and mentoring events to hundreds of high school girls in multiple cities. ChickTech is currently active in Portland, Corvallis, Chicago, New York City, Bay Area, Seattle, Houston, Austin, Boston, and Philadelphia.

“The Adobe Foundation is excited to be partnering with ChickTech in making an impact on the future of computer coding,” said Charley Lewis, Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility at Adobe. “We love ChickTech’s model of engaging girls who might not see themselves as technically oriented in a program that pairs an effective education with industry role models.”

ChickTech targets high school girls--with extra effort given to reaching those who are considered at-risk and in alternative schools or programs. At least one-third of ChickTech: High School participants qualify for the National School Lunch Program. All ChickTech: High School events are free of cost to participants.

Participants are hand-selected by educators through a nomination process for having demonstrated the aptitude to succeed in technology, but may or may not have elected to pursue it. This unique recruitment strategy not only reaches the intended demographic, it also creates excitement among participants by providing them with an immediate boost of confidence through the recognition of their strengths and abilities.

Depending on the chapter, 50-70% of participants have never dabbled in technology prior to attending one of its hands-on workshops. Survey data collected following the November 2015 ChickTech: High School kick-off events indicates that participants who reported being “confident” or “very confident” in their technology skills increased from 27% to 74%, and those who were “interested” or “very interested” in a technology career jumped from 47% to 89% after just one weekend.

“This grant dramatically increases ChickTech’s ability to positively impact thousands of young women. We are excited to partner with the Adobe Foundation to continue to expand our impactful and comprehensive high school program,” said Janice Levenhagen-Seeley, Executive Director of ChickTech. “With their support we believe we can reach twice the number of girls who can benefit from what we offer.”

About ChickTech

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, ChickTech was founded in 2011 to engage women of all ages in the technology industry while working to create a better technology culture for all. We build communities, empower participants to see themselves as technologists and leaders, and work one-on-one with companies to help build a more inclusive workforce.

For more information please visit: www.chicktech.org 

Media Contact: julie.rutherford@chicktech.org