In the digital world in which we live, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) play a fundamental role in almost every aspect of our lives. However, there is a significant gap in the participation of women and dissidents in the ICT professional field. To address this issue and encourage inclusion from an early stage, we launched "Hackeá: Starting your ICT journey " initiative.

These educational open days are designed especially for 4th and 5th year high school students with little knowledge and/or limited access to technological tools, with the aim of inspiring them to consider a career in ICT (in particular careers related to software development) and, at the same time, promote the inclusion of women and dissidents in this field. In this blog post, we explore the importance of generating these types of initiatives from high school and analyze why it is crucial to focus on the inclusion of women and dissidents in the ICT field.

Encouraging Inclusion in High School

High school is the time when young people begin to consider options for their academic and professional future. It is essential to understand this period as a key instance to foster interest in ICT, reduce social barriers and promote equal participation of women and dissidents. The "Hackeá" initiative seeks precisely that: bringing young people in the last years of high school to the world of software, giving them a practical and motivating introduction to ICT, telling them how is the daily life in a software company, how to work using agile methodologies, its ceremonies and tech culture. And with a playful spirit, they "play" to program, and, hopefully, lose the "fear" to the world of programming and its languages, something that at first sight may seem very distant and difficult.

The importance of including women and dissidents in ICTs

The ICT field has historically been dominated by men, and this has generated stereotypes that can discourage women and dissidents from considering a career in this field. Chicas en Tecnología published in 2022 a report on Gender Gaps in the Argentine University System where it can be seen, for example, that only 12% of university women in Argentina choose a STEM degree, while in the case of men it is 31.6%.

"Hackeá" seeks to challenge these stereotypes by showing young people that ICT is for everyone, regardless of gender. By offering them the opportunity to immerse themselves in hands-on software-related activities, it breaks down barriers and demonstrates that everyone has the potential to excel in this field.

In addition, the lack of role models is another challenge faced by women and dissidents in the tech world. "Hackeá" seeks to inspire young people by ensuring that there is diversity in those giving the talks and workshops. By seeing other individuals with outstanding careers, young people gain a broader vision of the possibilities offered by the world of technology and feel empowered to follow in their paths.

On the other hand, the ICT industry, and particularly the software industry, is a key sector for the development of economies worldwide. It generates quality job opportunities, with long-term projection and remunerative advantages. It is important to transmit and encourage training in a field where there are many possibilities of labor insertion and access to quality jobs.

The gender gap in the ICT field is a reality that cannot be ignored. By promoting the inclusion of women and dissidents from high school, several benefits can be achieved:

• Diversity of thoughts and innovative approaches: the inclusion of women and dissidents in ICT brings a wide variety of perspectives and experiences, leading to a higher level of creativity and innovation in the development of technological solutions.
• Contribute to closing the skills gap: the equal participation of women and dissidents in ICT contributes to closing the skills gap in the sector, thus enabling the full potential of available talent to be tapped.
• Contribute to closing the economic gap: as we said before, the technology industry is key to the development of economies worldwide. It generates quality job opportunities and creates services and products linked to the knowledge economy that can be exported to other markets. It is important to generate actions of inclusion and equity to achieve the goal of closing the economic gender gap.
• Equal opportunities: promoting inclusion from secondary school helps to ensure that all people, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, have the same opportunities to develop and prosper in the ICT field.

Conclusion

"Hackeá: Starting your ICT journey" seeks to drive real change and promote inclusion from an early stage, providing all people with equal opportunities in the exciting world of ICT.