"We want to be the role models we needed as young adults."

Although the IT industry offers enormous growth opportunities and the call for more diversity is getting louder and louder, women and girls are still severely underrepresented in the sector. Starcode e.V. is tackling this problem and has the major goal of bringing about fundamental change - by making STEM subjects accessible to schoolgirls at an early stage. In this interview, Kira Trettin, Local Director Berlin, and Lin Berghäuser, Second Local Director Berlin, from Starcode e.V., talk about their personal experiences and the challenges that girls face in STEM subjects. In our interview, the students explain how Starcode came about, how the association combats the gender imbalance in IT with targeted programmes and which outreach strategies Starcode wants to use to reach as many women and girls as possible in Berlin.

Dear Kira, dear Lin, women make up only 22% of computer science students in Germany. In your opinion, what are the biggest hurdles that prevent girls from getting interested in STEM subjects and how can they be overcome? What does society and the state need to do to turn the tide here?

Kira: A central problem is certainly that stereotypes and role models are still deeply rooted in our society. Even at a young age, it is often suggested to girls* that STEM subjects are more for boys. This often begins in early childhood, when boys are more often encouraged to tinker and girls are less often encouraged to experiment. Studies show that boys are much more likely to be given a chemistry set as a present than girls (study).  Another point is the lack of confidence in their own abilities. Many girls feel that they are not good enough for STEM subjects because they often receive less encouragement than their male classmates. This self-doubt is exacerbated by a lack of role models - there are too few women* in IT who could serve as inspiration. To overcome these hurdles, we need a change in society that starts with education policy. Schools should pay more attention to specifically supporting girls and giving them access to STEM subjects. Initiatives such as our organisation, which give girls the opportunity to gain initial experience in a protected environment, are an important building block in this regard. The state needs to provide more support for programmes that promote girls and young women in these areas. A better portrayal of women in STEM professions in the media and in advertising could also help to arouse interest. It is important that girls realise that STEM is not just for boys, but that they can be just as successful in these fields.

How did the idea for Starcode come about and what specific programmes or initiatives have been developed to address the gender imbalance in IT?

Lin: The idea for Startcode came about when the then founding members of Starcode realised how underrepresented girls and women are in IT and that this is often due to early childhood experiences and societal structures.Many girls have little exposure to computer science or technology in their school years, and when they do experience these subjects, it is often in an environment that is more tailored to boys. We wanted to change this and create a space where girls have the opportunity to try out IT and discover their interests right from the start.
Starcode was founded to counteract this gender imbalance. Our programme consists of free programming courses for girls from the fifth grade onwards. These courses are specifically designed to introduce girls to the basics of programming and technology in a fun way, without making them feel uncomfortable in a heavily male-dominated environment.
Through our courses, we not only want to teach girls about computer science, but also boost their self-confidence so that they have the confidence to pursue a career in IT. Our long-term goal is to promote a generation of young women who will help shape the IT landscape and increase diversity in the industry.

What is your personal motivation for championing the next generation of IT professionals?

Lin: As female students in the fields of mechanical and physical engineering, we know first-hand how challenging it can be to work in an environment that is still heavily dominated by men.

Kira: I, Kira, study mechanical engineering and therefore know a male-dominated environment very well. I still remember when computer science was on the timetable in my first semester and I had to swallow hard. Did I have what it takes? Today I'm very glad that I went through with it, back then it was almost a reason for me to drop out of university, even though I hadn't even tried. I experienced for myself how important it is to have support and role models who show you that you can take your place in such fields. This made me want to offer other girls and young women exactly the support they need to confidently pursue their path in IT or another technical field. Computer science has become an integral part of any STEM subject and that's why I feel it's so important to alleviate the fear of contact here.
Lin, who opted for physical engineering, can only confirm this: 'I too have experienced how few women are represented in these fields. I only decided to study physical engineering after changing my degree programme. When I started studying, a technical degree programme wasn't really an option. Simply because I didn't trust myself to do it. I don't think this was due to any lack of self-confidence in myself, but simply because the subject matter of engineering was also very unfamiliar to me at first. 

Lin: I didn't really realise it at the time, Kira described it similarly with her respect for computer science subjects in the first semesters. I think girls and young women often tend to have less confidence in the unknown. If you compare this with boys, it becomes clear that it's much easier for them to have the confidence to do it, partly due to their social conditioning.

If I can't imagine much or anything about a subject, how am I supposed to know whether I can do it or whether I like it? I think girls tend to be quicker not to even try. After a few semesters of reflection and the realisation that I was completing my modules just as successfully as everyone else, it was clear to me that I wanted to get involved to boost the self-confidence of young women. And when I became aware of Starcode, it was clear that this is exactly where I wanted to get involved.
After all, that's what Starcode is there for - to make this unknown a little less unknown for girls and thus boost their self-confidence. The aim of our courses is not for everyone to go home and say, when I grow up, I'm going to study computer science. It's also about showing that it's worth trying new things that you don't know yet or that you can't really imagine. The decision should be based on whether you enjoy the subject or not and not be characterised by the fact that you haven't even tried it or that computer science is somehow a ‘boy's thing’. We both want to show girls that they have what it takes for STEM just as much as boys and we want to be the role models we needed as young adults. 

Let's take a look at Starcode in Berlin: how popular is your initiative and which schools and universities are you currently working with?

Lin:The response to our initiative here in Berlin has been very positive. We realise that both schoolgirls and teachers are very interested in getting girls interested in IT at an early age and giving them the opportunity to gain initial experience in a protected environment. We are currently cooperating with several schools, including the Königin-Luise-Stiftung, the Carl-Friedrich-von-Siemens-Gymnasium and the Katholische Schule Sankt Franziskus. We also work closely with the State Library's Makerspace in Berlin. These partnerships are very important to us because they help us to bring our programme directly to the students and make it easier for them to get started in computer science. We are also currently establishing further partnerships to expand our network even further and reach even more girls. We are always happy to welcome new co-operation partners.
Starcode started as an initiative of the Technische Universität Berlin, but we have members from almost all universities and colleges in Berlin and even Potsdam. So anyone who supports our mission and wants to work for more diversity in IT is welcome to join us. This broad base of support shows us that many people share the same goal and are willing to work with us to overcome the gender imbalance in IT.

How does your outreach primarily take place? Is it through collaborations or do you reach your target groups in the traditional way via social media?

Kira: Our outreach takes place on several levels in order to reach as many girls and young women as possible. A large part is done through our partnerships with schools and other educational institutions. These partnerships are essential because they give us direct access to schoolgirls and help us to offer our programme exactly where it is needed most. We also use various digital channels to publicise our programme. One platform that we use very actively is nebenan.de, as we can target local communities here and also reach parents, who are the target group we are looking for, especially for the younger ones. We also use Instagram to directly address younger target groups in particular and give them an insight into our activities and successes. We also have a traditional email distribution list, which we use to send regular updates and information to interested parties and supporters. Our strategy is therefore a mixture of direct collaboration with our partners and digital outreach.

Which fields are currently most in demand and offer the best career opportunities for young women? Have you noticed any changes in the perception or interest of girls and young women in STEM subjects since the focus on AI has increased? If so, how do these changes manifest themselves?
Lin: We had to smile a little at the question. The areas and resulting career opportunities that are of particular interest to young women are precisely those that are also of interest to young men.
Of course, AI does not go unnoticed by our course participants. However, it is interesting to see that many connections are not made. We can say from experience from recent courses that AI is always equated with ChatGPT. The fact that Siri and Alexa are also AI-controlled systems is often met with astonishment. Like the whole field of computer science, the topic of AI is very abstract, especially for children and young people. However, we also realise that AI is of course very commonplace and topical and that it will be an integral part of computer science in the future. We are currently developing a new course on AI to familiarise girls with this important topic and we are sure that it will be included in future course developments.

Your new courses will start in September. What is the focus and what do you hope to achieve?

Kira: We are really excited to get going again! Our focus is on teaching basic computer science knowledge and programming skills in a way that is both understandable and motivating.
We have designed the courses to include hands-on projects that give students the opportunity to apply their knowledge directly. This can include programming simple websites or creating small games. The focus is on encouraging creativity and problem-solving skills as well as boosting the participants' self-confidence.
We hope that the students will not only learn technical skills through these courses, but also develop an increased interest in IT. Our aim is to provide them with a solid foundation that they can use in further courses or in their future careers. At the same time, we hope that through the personal contact and enthusiasm we bring to our courses, we can have a positive and long-term impact on the girls' career decisions.

Talent is desperately sought after in the IT sector and Berlin is a focal point for many talents worldwide. What do you think makes the city and the location so attractive?

Kira: We think Berlin is very interesting simply because of its size. The bigger the university and the city, the more opportunities there are. So everyone can find exactly the little niche they fit into. There are many opportunities to try out different things at the university and, thanks to the large number of students, a wide variety of projects that are realised. You simply have the opportunity to find exactly what really interests you. And that applies to study interests, leisure activities and later job opportunities.

*The gender asterisk after a word serves as a reference to the constructed nature of ‘gender’. We use the ‘*’ after woman and girl to indicate that these terms refer to all persons who define themselves as such, are defined as such and/or see themselves visualised as such.