Over 100 women will converge in KC for a weekend of coding and camaraderie
July 19, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
This coming weekend, Kansas City will host over 100 women coders from around the Midwest for an immersive, two-day workshop.
The second annual workshop Django Girls is an international non-profit organization that is organized locally by Kansas City Women in Technology. The workshop will be held July 21 and 22 and attendees will build web applications using HTML, CSS, Python and Django.
Jennifer Wadella, founder of Kansas City Women in Technology, said that the goal of the workshop is to empower women in the technology industry.
“Kansas City Women in Technology is excited to bring Django Girls to Kansas City,” Wadella said in a release. “We want to continue building Kansas City’s thriving technology and startup scene with diverse professionals.”
Following a competitive application process, 113 women were selected to attend the event, which will be held at the Sprint Accelerator in the Crossroads Arts District.
Event sponsors include Think Big Partners, EquipmentShare, RevSYS, Pawn & Pint and more.
“Django Girls is an amazing program because we start with absolute beginners and by the end of the day, they’ve created a website,” said Django Girls KC marketing coordinator Amy Norris, in a release. “It’s also one of the only free workshops offered, which opens doors to web development to women who might not normally be able to try it.”
Founded in 2013, Kansas City Women in Technology is a nonprofit aimed at growing the number of women in technology careers in the metro. The organization offers several programs that encourage people of all ages and genders to learn to code: CoderDojoKC, Django Girls KC, Coding & Cupcakes and Coding & Cocktails
Wadella told Startland News in January that encouraging more women to pursue careers in technology will bring diverse thinking and well-rounded design to more companies, thus creating better products.
In April, Kansas City was ranked at the second best metro for women in technology, according to a study conducted by SmartAsset. This is the second consecutive year that Kansas City has earned the No. 2 title.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Do The Right Thing: Tate Williams plans to sell his startup (but he’s not looking for an exit)
The following profile features one of five finalists for the “Do The Right Thing” social impact pitch competition organized by the KC BizCare Office, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and Startland News. Finalist features will be published throughout the week. Click here to read more features. Click here to vote for your favorite finalist…
New owners for Bo Lings’ Plaza location; here’s what the beloved restaurant is adding to its menu
Change is on the way for a longtime staple of the Kansas City food scene: Bo Lings — the Chinese restaurant chain founded by Bo “Richard” Ng and Far “Theresa” Ling in 1981 — has partnered with W.VinZant Restaurants to reimagine its Country Club Plaza location with more contemporary and expansive Asian cuisine. The new…
Prospect KC brews coffee bar collab with Messenger inside iconic downtown KC library
A reimagined coffee shop — closed during the pandemic — returns to full strength Aug. 7 thanks to a menu of pastries, sandwiches, and salads prepared by The Prospect KC culinary students in a live-training environment, as well as drinks and coolers crafted with Messenger Coffee Co. The 1,350-square-foot coffee bar and café — dubbed…
Cookies have taken over Sweet Kiss, but this mother-daughter brigadeiro shop has even more baked inside
For Jessica Harris, a brigadeiro offers a taste of home, she said, and for almost a decade, she’s been sharing those Brazilian truffles with Kansas City. When the Sweet Kiss Brigadeiro co-founder relocated to the City of Fountains in 1996 — following her sister who moved the year before to play basketball for Penn Valley…
