Eight hours to conceive, design and develop a technological application that can improve women’s life quality: from personal security in cities and on the web to technological solutions that can help young women manage private life, studies and work. This is the challenge launched by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Microsoft Italy to 75 young women in four secondary schools in the Province of Milan: G.Natta, E. Vanoni, G. Feltrinelli and Falcone-Righi in Corsico.

The young coders will meet on Wednesday, April 11 (9 am - 6 pm) at the Microsoft House “Spazio” Showroom. The programming marathon will be inaugurated by Annamaria Bottero, Customer Success Division Director, Microsoft Italy.

The hackathon is part of the #STEMInTheCity Initiative launched by the City of Milan, currently in its second edition, to promote digital culture amongst the young generations and encourage young women to study technological and scientific subjects.

“With the Milan hackathon, the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Microsoft renew their commitment to promote female talent. We work every day to help women believe in their abilities and overcome prejudice and barriers, to move beyond gender stereotypes and invest in competences and passions that will allow them to fully achieve their personal and professional goals. We have launched a double challenge to 75 young women: not only to work on mathematics and coding, but also to programme innovative solutions for their own good,” explains Mirta Michilli, Director General, Fondazione Mondo Digitale. 

“We are happy to host this first all-female hackathon at the Microsoft House. We have been collaborating with the Fondazione Mondo Digitale for many years now to help young women study scientific and technical subjects. And the enthusiasm with which these young women have accepted this challenge reveals that we are moving in the right direction. Things are changing. STEM subjects are no longer the realm of men. We hope that coding will interest an increasing number of women, so that we will soon have excellent young women programmers and developers,” points out Annamaria Bottero, Customer Success Division Director, Microsoft Italy.

The hackathon will be held by Microsoft employees together with two Senior Coaches from the Coding Girls Association, Valentina Gelsomini and Lara Forgione, who will guide the aspiring coders from app conception to its development on the Touch Develop Platform. Participants include the Coding Girls Crew from IIS Falcone Righi di Corsico.

Coding Girls is an initiative organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and the American Embassy in Italy to overcome the gender divide in STEAM. Inspired by the American “Girls Who Code” model, Coding Girls is a national association with over 20 hubs in schools throughout Italy..