6 years ago Chicas en Tecnología launched Programming for a Better World (PUMM), its first intensive program of technology for social purposes for adolescent women. In its classic face-to-face format, of which 8 editions were held, the meetings proposed that participants from CABA and the Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) work in teams to identify real problems in their environment and build an application to solve them. With the arrival of the pandemic, PUMM reinvented itself to adapt to the new context of virtuality. But not only did it change its format, from face-to-face to online, but also renewed its contents so that the young participants can access training in technology and entrepreneurial skills in accordance with the current dynamic context in which technological solutions are growing in scope and prominence.. So it was that, in 2020, the first online version of PUMM had participants from Arequipa, Lima, Mendoza and Buenos Aires. And this year, on its tenth anniversary, the scope was extended to more girls in the region.
The online edition of 2021 was developed during 6 intensive days and included workshops by industry professionals on problem identification, UX design, programming and communication, among other key topics for the technology ecosystem. One of the novelties of PUMM 10 was the participation of the CET Ambassadors, The program has already been attended by girls who have already gone through the program and are developing professionally in the technological ecosystem. They joined the team of mentors who accompanied the participants throughout the program. “In this way we seek to create a space where girls who are just starting out in the world of technology, young people who have already had their first professional experiences and people with a consolidated career in the industry can live together”.”, said Nicolás Wainer, regional leader of Girls in Technology Programs. This is one of the key points of access and permanence of young women in technology: meeting women who are developing professionally in these disciplines can motivate them to be interested in these careers and consider them an option for them. For this reason, the 10th edition of PUMM included a talk by Romina Yalovetzky, research associate in quantum algorithms at J.P. Morgan, who shared her professional career and experience with the teenagers. There was also a Women in Technology Panel with the participation of Verónica Moral, from S&P Global; Melanie Arakaki, from Mulesoft and Victoria Metallo, from J.P. Morgan.
The participants of this edition worked in teams, in a collaborative manner and developing interdisciplinary skills to solve the problems that they themselves detected and that address various topics such as: environmental pollution; recycling and environmental care; sex education for adolescents; plastic consumption; emotional support and mental health and climate activism.
With a social context that accompanies them, motivates them and offers possibilities, today's young women can be the next generation of women creators of technology with social impact.. PUMM creates a challenging experience in which the participants put their creativity into play in the service of a project that makes sense for them and their communities. Having the opportunity to live experiences and proposals with scientific and technological content will allow them to develop and recognize their skills in these areas. Therefore, with a first cycle of ten editions completed, Programando un Mundo Mejor continues to update its quality educational proposal to reach more and more young people.
