If ever there was an example that to me encapsulates how one individual, empowered by knowledge and technology, can make a real difference to the lives of so many others, it’s the company founded by my friend Müjde Esin, who I first met in London just after she graduated from her MA and had set up KizCode in 2015.

KizCode is a social enterprise that seeks to empower girls and young women in ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged communities using digital education technologies and pedagogies that involve making and playing.

The project, Müjde explains, also crucially addresses the wellbeing and mental health of those girls, something which she feels is often overlooked, but is key in a addressing the issue of gender equality and access to opportunities for women in tech.

KizCode has so far received several awards: in 2016 it was recognised by the UK Home Office in England for its contribution to Social Enterprise. Müjde was awarded the 2018 the Women Social Entrepreneur of the year in Turkey and she also received Microsoft’s Women Leaders of Technology award as the most successful Woman Educator in 2017. KizCode is currently collaborating with Koc Holding and Arcelik in Turkey to empower girls in underprivileged communities.

Müjde Esin from @kizcode is one of the finalists for the ninth annual FDM everywoman in Technology Awards @everywomanUK #ewTechAwards #womendotech #techshecan
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Adding to that, Müjde herself has just been nominated as one of the finalists for the ninth annual FDM everywoman in Technology Awards. The International Inspiration Award is given to an individual in recognition of their active commitment to encouraging, advancing, sponsoring or championing the progress of women working in technology. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on March 6^th.

The judges @everywomanUK Awards were united in their admiration and respect for the achievement of this year’s finalists. Congratulations to @mujdesin
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Taking place to celebrate International Women’s Day, the awards are a timely reminder that only 15% of people working in STEM roles in the UK are female and just 5% of leadership positions in the tech industry are held by women. The 2019 awards programme’s rally cry is “Achieve, Elevate and Inspire” and this year’s finalists, whilst diverse in many ways, all have something in common – they do just that.

“The judges were united in their admiration and respect for the achievement of this year’s finalists,” says Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder of everywoman. Without question, each of them has the ability to inspire more women and girls into a career in technology. Research by PWC shows that there could be a £180billion boost to UK GDP just by increasing female employment rates. This shows just how valuable female talent is and why this programme is so important in ensuring that more women enter the industry.

@mujdesin collaborates with companies in Turkey and the UK, as well as Turkey’s Education Minister, to deliver computer-coding workshops to girls
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“I grew up in a patriarchal and conservative society and have experienced the reality of girls being discouraged from learning and in engaging in creative practice. While I learned technology skills by myself mostly while I was at university – and with some help from friends – I realised how other girls and young women in a similar situation would benefit from being taught such skills. Technology is at the heart of future developments in society, the economy and international relations. For me it has been an amazing journey to be in Tech as I can say that what I have achieved has been directly as a result of my interest in technology and coding.”

This is what spurred her on to set up her social enterprise to address the issue of gender imbalance in the technology sector by providing training to girls and young women in underprivileged communities in Turkey and Africa.

“I collaborate with companies in Turkey and the UK, as well as Turkey’s Education Minister, to deliver computer-coding workshops to girls and young women. The workshops – which over the past three years have reached over 2000 girls – aim to give them the skills they need to gain financial independence,” she explains. “I am very proud of our workshops participants. Two girls from an underprivileged community in Turkey, after completing my KizCode workshops, were inspired to continue working on their own projects, which they won a prize for. Both are now pursuing a career in the tech industry.”

Her work focuses on diversity and girls’ education, addressing culture from an internal perspective in migrant and minority group communities, and she also provides consultancy services leveraging that expertise to companies looking to address such issues internally.

KizCode is a social enterprise that seeks to empower girls and young women in ethnic minority groups and disadvantaged communities using digital education technologies
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So what’s next for Müjde and KizCode?

“I would like to see gender balance in the technology sector and make education facilities and technologies more accessible to girls in underprivileged societies,” she tells me, adding that KizCode has managed to become a ‘bridge’ between England and Turkey. “We are going to start a new project in Istanbul in collaboration with the Mayor; the project is called ‘KizCode Digital Skills Institute’ and it aims to give high technology skills to young women and improve diversity in the tech industry.”

I know without a shadow of a doubt that Müjde has the grit and determination to achieve all this and much more in the coming years, and look forward to cheering her on as she does.

There’s some serious ROI from investing in the future generation’s digital skills, and enabling entrepreneurs that make a real difference
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The best mentorships are the ones where you become lifelong friends, and also where the mentor learns at least as much (if not more) than what she teaches. Both are true of my relationship with Müjde, and I wish her many more well deserved awards and recognition, as well as a big fat load of investment at some point that will allow her to scale like crazy. Because there’s some serious ROI – in every sense – from investing in the future generation’s digital skills, and in enabling entrepreneurs that make a real difference.

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

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Public voting is now open for this year’s edition of the UK Blog Awards, and Tech Trends needs your support!

For the past few years, the UK Blog Awards has been recognising the best blogs out there in a range of industry categories.

For the second year, #TechTrends is in the running for the UK Blog Awards
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And for the second year in a row Tech Trends is proud to be in the running. It’s been an amazing ride and we couldn’t have done it without our lovely readers, so thanks!

Support #TechTrends by casting your vote for us on #UKBA18
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But if you like us and enjoy reading our tech news and opinion, please take a minute (seriously, that’s how long it takes) to click on this link and vote for us!

The UK Blog Awards has been created to recognise true viral style and creative excellence across a variety of 17 UK industries.

We hope to continue building on the success of Tech Trends so far, and as well as welcoming a host of awesome new contributors, we have a lot more planned for 2018, so stay tuned, and be sure to follow us on Twitter @techtrends_tech for the latest news.

Stay tuned for a lot more exciting Tech in 2018
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Please vote for @techtrends_tech for the @UKBlogAwards https://t.co/VYdeGwTcIL only takes a minute and would mean the world to us! pic.twitter.com/ZElwQ89D9m

— Alice Bonasio (@alicebonasio) December 4, 2017

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Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post #TechTrends Nominated for #UKBA18 appeared first on Tech Trends.

Tech Trends has been selected alongside the likes of Road to VR and TechCrunch as one of the Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs by Feedspot. Others on the list include UploadVR, a site for which we also regularly contribute news and commentary.

“This is the most comprehensive list of Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs on the Internet,” says Feedspot Founder Anuj Agarwal, who sent us the news along with a virtual “high five” this morning.

#TechTrends was selected as one of the top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs on the Web
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According to Feedspot the list was compiled based on criteria such as:

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media
• Quality and consistency of posts
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

Top 50 Virtual Reality Blogs & Websites on the Web https://t.co/HyjTsbe1Xa pic.twitter.com/eAoy7anMBC

— Feedspot Blog (@feedspotblog) January 21, 2017

For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies such as VR/AR/MR/XR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance and support on how best to incorporate these into your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Tech Trends Awarded Top 50 Virtual Reality Blog Award appeared first on Tech Trends.