Helping Students Learn Through the Summer

By Kari Sherrodd, senior manager, Citizenship and Public Affairs

Summer break is just around the corner! This time of year, many parents struggle to come up with ways to keep their kids learning and engaged with fun activities throughout the summer months. We want to help. As part of Microsoft YouthSpark, Microsoft offers several programs, classes and opportunities to continue the learning and fun after the yearbooks are signed and the final bell rings.

YouthSpark Summer Camps
Starting June 2, Microsoft will kick off summer break with free YouthSpark Summer Camps at your local Microsoft retail store. Camps include Smart Game Coding and Smart Game Designing where students will learn how to build, publish and bring mobile games to life. In addition, Smart Movie Making and Smart Photo Taking offers students a chance to produce and design movies and images. To learn more about the classes offered in your neighborhood and to enroll, visit www.microsoftstore.com/summercamps.

Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
By 2018, there will be more than 1.4 million open jobs in the technology sector in the United States. At the current rate of students graduating with computer science degrees, only 61 percent of those jobs will be filled, and less than a third will be filled by women. In an effort to increase this statistic, Microsoft is sponsoring a Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program this year on Microsoft’s Redmond campus to help bring a unique approach to computer science education. Over the course of seven weeks, 20 female high school students will participate in intensive instruction in robotics, web design and mobile development with engaging, career focused mentorship and exposure led by the industry’s top female entrepreneurs and engineers. To learn more about the Girls Who Code Immersion Program, or to start a club in your city, check out www.girlswhocode.com.

DigiGirlz
DigiGirlz, a Microsoft YouthSpark program, gives high school girls across the globe the opportunity to learn about careers in technology. Two programs are offered including a DigiGirlz one-day event , held at multiple Microsoft locations worldwide, which is designed to provide high school girls with a better understanding of what a career in technology looks like. In addition, Microsoft offers a multiday High Tech Camp experience in various cities across the world bringing high school girls an in-depth look at Microsoft and careers in technology while participating in hands-on computer and technology workshops. For more information about Microsoft’s DigiGirlz program visit www.microsoft.com/digigirlz.