Since September, the initiative Women && Code in Vienna offers programming courses for women for women. Every two weeks women can take part in a beginner’s course free of charge and at weekends there are further intensive courses for a fee. The concept is fully developed and the courses are well attended: “We are fully booked for months,” says Barbara Ondrisek, who launched Women && Code together with Eva Lettner. So far eight JavaScript courses with 20 to 25 participants each took place and two intensive courses on the topics Chatbots and HTML / CSS. The team is considering how it could expand the offer, according to the initiator.

Hackathon with childcare
A few months after the first lines of code were typed in the courses, a new project is now up. Ondrisek and Lettner organize the first hackathon in Austria, where only rejoicing is allowed. The programmers, designers and managers are to implement smaller projects in the areas of Web Development, Augmented Reality and IT Security of the Chatbots at the TU Vienna. The initiative also offers childcare for female participants, for which there are already first registrations. “We expect 50 to 70 women for the hackathon,” estimates Ondrisek.

Laptop, Google Home and Smartwatch
The pitch will be pitched in the evening and winners will receive prizes like Oculus Go VR glasses, Google’s Chromebook, Google Home, a smartwatch, Raspberry Pi or Women && Code courses and the Business Riot Series. Among other things, the participants are supported by the “Facebook Developer Circle” Vienna, SBA Research and Catalysts. For Women && Code, the hackathon is also the closing ceremony of the first semester – after the award ceremony is celebrated, men are then invited.