Description:

Imagine a phone app that could quickly reunite lost pets, connect the poor with resources that they need, or report a problem in the community! Code for a Cause is the Compass-based Technovation hub where middle school girls will participate in the world's largest technology entrepreneurship program for girls. Each year, Technovation teams solve real world problems through technology that they develop!

Through Technovation, girls work with women mentors, identify a problem in their community, develop a mobile app, and launch a startup. Since 2010, 23,000 girls around the world have developed mobile apps and startups to solve problems around a diverse range of problems, including food waste, nutrition, women's safety, and much more. In this year-long program, girls will work in teams and learn the skills they need to change the world with technology.

Girls will begin with get-to-know-you and team building activities before breaking into teams of 3-4. Each team will brainstorm to identify a problem in the community. They will propose a mobile app solution to their problem and conduct market research to see if their idea is the best possible solution. Next, the girls will learn to program their unique application using a web-based software called Thunkable (an app inventor platform). In class, girls will be coached step-by-step on the process and logic of creating an interactive application. Finally, girls will learn how to brand their app, create a business plan, and look at what it would take to bring the app to market.

Participation in Technovation gives girls the confidence to pursue more computer science courses (70%), and give many the foundation to eventually major in computer science (26%). Technovation teams are in 100 countries, and the program is sponsored by Oracle, Google, 3M, Adobe Foundation, and others.

TechnologyEach student will need to have- and check- her own e-mail account and bring her own laptop to class each week. Chrome Books and tablets will not work for this application.Homework Students should expect to spend 2-3 hours outside of class each week on coding or collaborating with team members. Age: The Compass team will be competing at the middle school level. Team members must not turn 15 before August 2022 for this team.