Why Should You Start an ACM-W Chapter at Your School?
We know that, even as the number of students in computing increases, there are still relatively few women. There have been many articles and reports describing the situation of women in computing (such as The Incredible Shrinking Pipeline). You can counter this trend at your schools!
What can an ACM-W Student Chapter do? A LOT!
Download “101 Ideas for ACM-W Chapters” here.
- Activities to educate women about the opportunities in the computing field;
- Engage women students in exciting computing activities;
- Connect students with women leaders in the field;
- Encourage students to promote the field of computing to young girls;
- Promote the activities of ACM;
- Network with other ACM-W Chapter leaders and members;
- Mentor chapter members and pre-college girls;
- Broaden the computing community; and
- Extend the “conversation” about why it’s important to increase the number of women in computing.
The ACM-W Student Chapter Program is part of the larger ACM Student Chapter Program. You will receive guidance from ACM-W about activities and the day-to day running of a Chapter plus you can draw on the resources and experiences of the larger ACM-W and ACM Student Chapter network – over 500 Student Chapters worldwide.
To start an ACM-W chapter: link to start a professional chapter ( http://www.acm.org/chapters/professionals/how-to-start-a-professional-acm-w-chapter ) and one for student chapters ( http://www.acm.org/chapters/students/how-to-start-a-student-acm-w-chapter ).
Local Activities Contact (for questions about starting or running an ACM-W Student Chapter): Local_Activities at hq.acm.org
For more information and ideas, check the resource jointly developed with the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). How to Create and Sustain a Women in Computing Group on Your Campus
Why Should You Start an ACM-W Professional Chapter in your Local Area?
25% of the computing workforce were women, and less than 10% were women of color. (5% were Asian, 3% were African-American, and 2% were Hispanic) — source, ncwit.org. ACM-W is launching a new effort (Professional ACM-W Chapters) to retain and support women in the computing workforce. Stay tuned for future developments in our brand new project!