Israel's 'she codes;' a tech community for women, has launched a new branch at the offices of video technology company Kaltura.
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At its 45 locations, she codes; teaches coding to 50,000 women, hoping to equalize gender representation in the country's software development field.
Participants in the program learn to code from women volunteers who hold key positions in the high-tech sector, with the philosophy that the best way to integrate the male-dominated tech industry is through a supportive community of women.
Sigal Srur, chief Human Resources Officer at Kaltura, says that hosting the new she codes; branch marked another step in bringing more women into the world of technology in Israel and abroad.
"The branch is run on a volunteer basis by two Kaltura employees – Tali Kishon, Director of Infra and Cross Integration R&D Technical Services, and Lior Bukshpan, Kaltura Branch Manager. The exposure to Kaltura employees greatly contributes to the participants' sense of ability and self-confidence in entering the world of high-tech. We believe that support for women in the overall technological ecosystem will lead to the introduction of more women in high-tech companies," Srur says.
Anna Lifshitz Agmon, CEO of she codes; explains that "The community was established eight years ago with an ambitious goal of reaching 50% of women software developers in Israel. The launch of our new branch, which is one of 45 active branches across the country, is proof that we're on the right track. Thanks to cooperation with high-tech companies such as Kaltura, which understand the importance of our mission, I'm sure that we will reach the goal within just a few years."
The women learning to code come from all walks of life.
Lily Niv, a 53-year-old lawyer, decided to study programming to understand what her sons were talking about all day. "My sons are in the cyber and computer worlds and I'm tired of not being a part of the conversation," she says. "The time has come for me to understand what this is all about. It's a different world from what I know and it's fascinating. For me, the main thing is to be able to participate in the family conversations."
Hagar Reuveni is a private language teacher. The fresh she codes; student explains: "I did a master's degree in education but very quickly felt ready for a career change. She codes; is the right place for me to get a foot in the door of the high-tech world. I still have a long way to go, but I feel I'm headed in the right direction."
Maayan Katz, 30, is a jewelry designer with a degree in design. Despite her success, she feels that the future lies in tech careers, and she doesn't want to be left behind. "I realized that if I didn't learn code now, my future grandchildren might look at me as someone illiterate," she says. "I want to have more than one career option. Now I'm learning frontend programming and I'm finding it fascinating. I'm evolving and I love it."
Moran Dankner left the US for Israel six months ago. She was a visual content creator and was looking for a similar role in Israel's high-tech industry. "I took a course at she codes; while looking for a job. The support of the girls and the professional help led me to find a job," she says. Dankner is now working as head of creative production at Overwolf, a software platform that helps developers create extensions for video games.
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