Dispelling myths and inspiring girls at Hello World event

Girls from schools across the region visited Teesside University for the annual Hello World conference which aims to dispel the myth that computing is just for boys.

Year 9 girls from schools across Teesside spent the day at the University to take part in workshops which looked at all aspects of computing from creative to technical. The aim of Hello World is to help address the shortage of women working in all areas of the computing and digital industries.

A panel of inspirational women working in the computing and technology industries opened the event. The panel members included freelancers and staff from major players in the industry including Industrial Light and Magic, Visual Soft, Double Eleven and Trade Interchange. Workshops included sessions on games development, coding, cybersecurity and animation.

The girls were able to try on VR headsets to discover more about the use of virtual reality, with another session on motion capture explaining how CGI characters are created for film, television and the games industry.

A workshop with a topical theme looked at the part technology plays in the ‘selfie’ craze, with the girls taking photographs which were then manipulated to show the implications of doctored images and the representation of girls and women in the media.

Charlotte Bowman and Alisha Stewart, both Year 9 pupils from English Martyrs School in Hartlepool, were invited to help demonstrate the motion capture suits.

Charlotte said: 'Today has been amazing. It has been very inspiring and eye opening. I feel inspired as from a young age we are told to have a particular image, but events like this help to change attitudes.'

Alisha added: 'It has been really engaging and I've really enjoyed the whole event. It has provided lots of opportunities to find out more about what it is like working in the different computing and technology industries and what it will be like for us in the future when we are looking for jobs.'

Alison Brown, Associate Dean (Marketing & Recruitment), School of Computing & Digital Technologies, said: 'Hello World is aimed at destroying the myth that computing and digital technologies are for boys and to show the girls the wide variety of exciting careers open to them in this rapidly evolving field, wherever their interests lie.

'Although teenage girls use computers and the internet in much the same way as their male peers, they are still five times less likely to consider a technology-related career.

'Businesses often find it difficult to recruit women into computing jobs as too few young girls opt to study computing-based subjects at school and college. With Hello World we are aiming to be part of the solution to this long standing issue.'

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