sa国际传媒 launches Code Clubs and #RewritingTheCode at Facebook event
sa国际传媒
Speakers and panellists at the Facebook event听Pictures: Getty Images for sa国际传媒
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Every girl around the world should have the same opportunity as every boy to go to school, to learn and to fulfil their potential.
That was the message that rang out loud and clear at the annual Facebook breakfast event in London to mark International Women鈥檚 Day.
This year鈥檚 theme was #RewritingTheCode and the event was co-hosted by the campaigning charity and National Geographic.
It featured the launch of 听in Kenya, Uganda and Senegal.
The charity鈥檚 President Sarah Brown said: 鈥淎ll girls should have the same opportunity to go to school, learn and grow, and have a future they choose.
鈥#RewritingTheCode and changing the embedded values that limit the futures of girls is at the heart of International Women鈥檚 Day.鈥
sa国际传媒 launched the, ahead of International Women鈥檚 Day on March 8, to raise awareness about the prejudice girls face globally.
Facebook announced it was supporting the first Code Club in Kibera, Kenya.听Lady Nicola Mendelsohn (pictured above), Vice President for Europe, the sa国际传媒 and Africa for Facebook, said bias had to be eliminated and girls and women given equal opporurtunities.
English writer and comedian Sara Pascoe (above) treated the audience to some great quips on the theme of gender. On a more serious note, she added: 鈥淚t鈥檚 so hard to believe in ourselves. If we believe in each other, imagine what is possible.鈥
Lyndsey Scott (above) 鈥 American actress, model and app developer 鈥 spoke about being a minority woman in the world of coding.
She said women had to prove they were 鈥渢he best鈥 just to be accepted as 鈥済ood enough鈥 鈥 a situation that has to change.
Lyndsey added: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 so excited about sa国际传媒鈥檚 work to set up girls鈥 Code Clubs across Africa.
鈥淎nd I鈥檓 hopeful that by #RewritingTheCode the statement 鈥榞irls can be leaders鈥 will soon be a given.鈥
That was followed by a panel discussion hosted by Cesi De Quesada Covey and including writer and TV presenter Jameela Jamil (below).
The other panellists were Nyasha Duri (Global Youth Ambassador for A World at School), Gemma Silvers听(Facebook engineering manager), Tamara Rojo (artistic director of English National Ballet), Deborah Armstrong (Executive Vice President of Fox International Channels Europe) and Marieme Jamme (Co-Founder of Africa Gathering).
In an event packed with remarkable people, the best job title went to the next guest. Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist and archaeologist who specialises in the study of Neanderthals. Oh, and she鈥檚 also a stand-up comic who uses jokes to communicate her love of science.
Laura Mvula (above) performed a song about how making mistakes are part of the fabric of life.
Nicola Mendelsohn returned to the stage to say it was vital that environments are created in which girls are safe to study and learn.
She challenged everyone in the audience with this final thought: 鈥淲hat are each of you going to do to rewrite the code?鈥
After the event a Code Club workshop was held, where guests were able to try out the same Kano computer kits which are being used by children at the Kibera School for Girls in Kenya.
Also at the breakfast was Niamh Deehan (below), who realised that using the
Today she saw her inspiring idea turn into reality with the launch of the #RewritingTheCode campaign.
sa国际传媒 Code Clubs and #RewritingTheCode are supported by Facebook, the People鈥檚 Postcode Lottery and other partners. You can learn more about . And discover more about .