Rails Girls - Bulgaria
Rails girls is a two-day free workshop that targets women with little to no experience in the field of programming and technology. The goals of the program are to expose as many women as possible into a largely male-dominated industries.
For 15 consecutive years this adaptation of this international initiative has contributed a lot to the digital space in Bulgaria
Background and aims
The project presents a successful approach and training that has introduced many women, previously hesitant, to join the programming and technology sphere. The project mostly promotes 3 of the 4 pillars of the Digital Skills & Jobs Coalition. Mainly, Rails Girls stresses on digital skills for all women, as there is an overbearing minority in this field. The main promoter of the event is the focus on education – the event strongly supports teaching and digital skills learning transformation by creating a good environment for an entryway into the digital sphere.
Less dominant is the emphasis on digital skills for the labor force and ICT professionals as the good practice mostly relies on people joining who have had no previous experience into the field. However, with the main goal being introducing more people to the field, in the long term, the project largely contributes to the development and expanding of the digital skills sphere in the country where it is practiced.
In the region and to an extent part of the EU as well, despite some recent policy changes there is still a large discrepancy between the number of men and women in certain sectors. With technology and programming being one of the fastest developing ones, the role of women should be promoted, not only because it brings forth equality but also because it promotes more people into joining the sector, thus further expanding it and presenting for new opportunities in the digital landscape.
Why is this a good practice?
The initiative is so successful because of the approach: the friendly and inspiring environment, as well as the opportunities that occur in it, driver more and more women into joining the initiative. One of the most beneficial thing is the duration : people don’t have to sign up for a course that lasts months but instead commit a small portion of their time and give a chance to a new activity that they have always wanted to try out.
This project has been described well in social media and the website, giving more than sufficient information regarding its practice. The goal of the initiative is not to give a detailed programming course; rather, it aims to serve as an introductory stepping stone which women interested in the digital field could use to gain a better perspective and to enter the programming sector.
