We are all too familiar with the diversity problem in the tech industry. Being vocal on issues is important, but to make a difference we must also act. In October, I decided to start Codebar as an attempt to offer free weekly coding workshops to women, LGBT and other underrepresented minorities with the help of the community. Through my personal experiences and struggles as a developer, I've learned just how important communities and the support they offer are. Things are easier when someone is sitting next to us offering a helping hand or just encouraging us to continue.The talk focuses on Codebar, what this is all about, the vision, and what you can do to help make tech a better and more welcome place.

1. CODEBAR
BRIDGINGTHE DIVERSITY GAP

2. WHAT IS CODEBAR?
• Initiative promoting diversity by teaching women and
minorities programming for free
• Weekly workshops
• Friendly and supportive environment
• Encouragement: Everyone should attend
• Eliminate the fear of I’m not good enough to be programming

3. WHERE IS IT?
• Started in London in October
• Today running our first workshop in Brighton
• Thanks to @rosaemerald and @phuunet <3 <3 <3
• New chapter coming up soon in Edinburgh!

4. • Would be amazing to have events running
across the UK
• Help by spreading the word or
• If you live outside London, start your own
chapter!

5. STRUCTURE
• Students can work on any tutorial - friendly for variety of
levels
• Goal is to release a new tutorial every week
• Pair small groups (1-3) students with coach for direct
assistance and feedback
• Offer support on personal projects, if we have the capacity

6. WHAT DO WETEACH?
• Set of tutorials who become progressively advanced
• Begin at basics, HTML/CSS
• Focus on building up knowledge, not solving specific
problems
• Aim to build something in each workshop.
• Sense of achievement makes people want to do more

7. WHAT’S ATUTORIAL LIKE?

8. • Explain concepts
• Give background information
• Show example(s)

10. BUILDTHINGS!
• Focus on goal
• Prepare what’s less
important (e.g. HTML/CSS
for Javascript tutorials)
• Detailed step by step guide
• Aim for excitement!

13. ONLY WORKSHOPS?
• No, not just workshops!
• Focused one day long courses to explain more
specialised concepts

14. SO FAR…
• HTTP Fundamentals
• Understanding how requests work
!
• Talk your walk
• Get more women speakers out there!

15. UPCOMING COURSES…
• Git and Github
!
• The terminal

16. MORE…
• Responsive Design
!
• Testing andTDD

17. CHALLENGES
• Finding space (and food) can be hard
• Gauging attendance and matching numbers of
coaches
• Finding coaches with free time - we run
workshops every week

18. • Enforcing minority specific goals without being
offensive
• Creating and enforcing a policy
• Becoming a charity!

19. CAN I HELP?
• Coach at our workshops
• Write a tutorial
• Or improve what’s already there
• Maybe run a course?

20. WANTTO DO MORE?
• Spread the word
• Get other developers involved
• Speak to your boss about us, host a workshop
• Get your wife/girlfriend/friend to sign up as a
student

21. http://codebar.io
!
@by_codebar

22. THANKS! ANY QUESTIONS?

23. @despo
!

24. RESOURCES
• Sign up as a student or coach http://codebar.io
• Tutorials http://codebar.github.io/tutorials
• Github http://github.com/codebar
• Want to do more? Let’s have a chat.
• Email me! despo@codebar.io