We are IT Girls Rock!

Are you a woman who works or wants to work in or with IT teams? Are you looking for a group where you can share and workshop your experiences, build skills, confidence, shared language, connections, mindsets and technical clout with likeminded women? A place where there is no such thing as a silly question?

Look no further... IT Girls Rock is here!

IT Girls Rock brings together courageous and inspiring women from all walks of life, vintages, experiences, preferences and identities who are IT-curious or IT-savvy, work in or with tech teams, want to level up their tech clout, and believe that women need to step up and play a central part in IT to shape our future ensuring ethical and meaningful application of technology.

We build capacity and confidence, foster creativity and meaningful connections, discover our superpowers and empower each other to live our best lives with purpose and confidence through targeted workshops, courses, conversations and collaborations in a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.

Our big purpose is to bridge gaps and create a more connected world where we celebrate differences and everyone feels welcome, valued and inspired - fostering innovation and technology for good.

Meet your host

Gry Stene is an original "IT Girl" from the 80s, studying Computation and starting out as programmer at a time when there were 35-40% women in key IT roles. She has loved her 30+ years working in tech across continents, typically in customer obsessed roles, and is equally at home in conceptual stage startups as she is in global conglomerates. 

Gry is deeply concerned with the downward trend of women in the industry, especially as tech creators and inventors, and is on a mission to encourage, enable, empower and inspire more women to step into IT in their own capability and capacity! 

IT Girls Rock is key initiative for our journey and brings the coaching, mentoring, training, conversations and collaborations that Gry has developed over 30 years to a wider audience of women tech innovators who want to ensure ethical and meaningful application of IT.

In her blog post "IT Girls and our stories", Gry unpacks some of her own story, elaborates a bit on her why, and shares some of the stories she comes across. 

In short, the article covers

IT stands for “Information Technology,” and is pronounced “I.T.“ It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses. IT jobs include computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, Web development, technical support, and many other related occupations. Since we live in the “information age,” information technology has become a part of our everyday lives. That means the term “IT,” already highly overused, is here to stay. (Christensson, Per. “IT Definition.” TechTerms. Sharpened Productions, 2006. Web. 27 January 2021. <https://techterms.com/definition/it>.)

Choosing to study IT as a young woman in the 80s when realising that IT was likely to underpin everything we do, in excitement over the potential of technology, and to prove that women can do everything that a man can do.

Stories about why women don't step into IT and how to get over that:

• I'm not very techie or techie at all... get to know IT | Let's build IT together 
• I'm not enough - I don't know all of IT | You know more than many
• I'm not worth IT | We'll prove that you can rock IT

You can read the full post here, but maybe check out IT Girls Rock options first.

Who is IT Girls Rock for?

We use IT (Information Technology / I.T.) as an umbrella term for any activity that involves using or creating technology. We also love the way we can playfully use IT instead of it, and explore the the terms IT Girls, IT Boys and IT Folk . 

IT is for everyone, and we want to make sure that the creators of technology are representative of the community we serve. 

This collective is for you whether you are IT-savvy or IT-curious. Whether you already work in or with IT teams or want to transition into IT. You want to level up your tech clout and confidence, and believe that we as women and girls have an important part to play in shaping our future.

Do you identify as a woman and are:

• An entrepreneur, "techpreneur", business leader with a idea that needs IT
• In an IT role and want to connect with other women with similar roles
• In an IT leadership role and want to explore what other women do
• Wanting to transition into IT from a different role
• A woman with an idea for IT that you don't know how to evolve
• An educator who wants to step into IT or is looking for different ideas for engaging students in IT
• New to IT and want to meet women who have walked the path already
• Studying IT and figuring out what's in IT for you and what pathways exist

We recognise that we all bring different experiences, expertise, perspectives and ideas, and that we can create amazing connections and make a difference and create sustainable positive impact.

What makes IT Girls Rock unique

Here are a few things that make our community special:

• Created for IT Girls by IT Girls as a place where we can grow together and make a difference by inspiring others, ensuring meaningful and ethical application of technology.
• We assume positive intent and don't judge. We are here because we want to be here and support each other
• Includes women who are IT-curious or IT-savvy who believe that we can work together to create a better future and play a prominent role in innovation and technology
• Brings together women from all shapes, sizes, experiences, cultures, preferences, and vintages
• Provides a safe place where all perspectives and levels of experience are welcome, valued and inspire us. There is no such things as a silly question.
• We work together to make sure that all our activities provide value to our community and individual members
• Gives you an opportunity to augment your skills, instil confidence, develop shared language, form cooperative relationships and build entrepreneurial mindsets - together.

Why is IT Girls Rock important?

IT is the fastest growing industry globally and underpins solutions for all other industries. With only 4% of Australian 15 year old males and a negligible percentage of girls reporting an interest in IT-careers, we need to think outside the box to  develop, attract and retain additional talent while we fix the pipeline. There are plenty of people with transferable skills who would love to be involved, but don’t know how to approach IT. At the same time, many IT folk struggle to navigate the system, ensure we are inclusive and politically correct, and remain authentic.

Sometimes all you need is a sounding board, whether that is for working out your business or product strategy, dealing with your boss, figuring out your next career step, or understanding how you can contribute to the solution and help create a diverse and inclusive organisation. Some organisations have invaluable  internal programs, but if you don’t, how do you find a coach and mentor? Many of us also find it easier to speak with an external coach, consultant and mentor rather than someone that is within the organisation. 

 From my own experience as a protégé/mentee, mentor, coach, leader and consultant, I know that engaging someone to help for a reason, a season or a lifetime can be invaluable personally, professionally and for your business. I love to enable, empower and inspire people to think outside the box and find their voice, and guide them on their journey when they want it.

My coaching blends robust, contemporary business coaching in IT with a lifetime of mentoring and guiding people on their journey.

Sneak peak of IT Girls Rock

Check out the video below for a look inside our platform. The content will change over time, but the principles remain.

How do I join IT Girls Rock

We are starting out with 3 membership packages:

• CHANGEMAKER IT Girls is where the magic happens. This is where we come together and collaborate to grow the community into a force to be reckoned with to ensure innovation and responsible application of technology to solve real world problems (USD40/month).
• CURIOUS IT Girls Rock entry level package to help you explore the community central and get a sense of who we are and what we do (USD15/month).
• CONFIDENT with COACHING IT Girls Rock for you if you feel you need personalised coaching and mentoring to get to your confident self (USD200/month).

We want the community to give value to all our members and will be providing access to additional resources and packages inside the community.

Please note that the names may vary slightly in the video.

Scholarships and Equity Pricing

We are committed to welcoming everyone IT Girl who is interested in being part of and building this community and offer scholarships for students and equity pricing for those who are marginalized or in need.

Please contact us at [email protected] if this applies to you and we will provide a tailored program and pricing for you. 

Before You Join...

In order to help our community be the best it can be for all members, please be sure to read and understand our guidelines:

Basic Community Guidelines

• Be inclusive and respectful of all members and ideas
• Participate! Join in discussions and events!
• Fill in your profile and add your URLs to your profile
• Choose an appropriate username (real name preferred)
• No profanity/hate speech/slurs/etc
• No spamming of any kind

This Community IS For You If:

• You're committed to your IT Girls Rock journey
• You want to connect with a community of enthusiastic and inspiring women in IT
• You're ready to offer feedback in a valuable, constructive way
• You're open to receiving feedback from others
• You're "in it for the long haul" and plan to make a difference in IT

This Community IS NOT For You If:

• You're not willing to support women and girls in IT
• Your content is negative, hateful, or otherwise harmful
• You're not open or comfortable with feedback from people with different points of view

By joining the IT Girls Rock community, you agree to follow the above guidelines and understand that you may be removed for violating them.

👉 Heads up – if you're on the app, you'll need to use the link with a web browser on your device as described here.