A tour to inspire and train female talent in science and technology
Some imagine a future of data and algorithms, others dream of designing sustainable solutions for the planet, others fight for a safer web. The Coding Girls are curious, motivated girls, eager to learn and change the world. And the programme that accompanies them on their journey grows with them, year after year.
The Coding Girls 2025 tour has begun, an educational and human adventure that is travelling across Italy to meet thousands of female students, involving them in technological challenges, letting them interact with mentors and role models, and above all, giving them confidence.
From Sicily to Piedmont, passing through Sardinia and Lazio, there are nine stages, each with its own identity and a theme to explore: artificial intelligence for the territory, cybersecurity against cyberbullying, data science, financial education, environmental sustainability. The places and the focus change, but the spirit remains the same: training girls to consciously choose their own future, overcoming stereotypes and invisible barriers.
In Palermo, for example, 50 university tutors supported young people in secondary schools in six different thematic areas. In Cagliari and Salerno, with the support of Microsoft Italy, the focus was on AI and design thinking. In Rome and Naples, thanks to Google.org, the topic was cyberbullying and OSINT, with the ‘Cyberguardians’ format.
The method is peer to peer: learning together, sharing experiences, growing as a community. In Milan, the teams are even more mixed, with Italian and foreign university students getting involved as trainers. There is also time for personal reflection, thanks to the Personal Ecosystem Canvas, an innovative tool for planning one's life path with clarity and creativity.
Coding Girls is not just a training programme: it is an educational alliance, a large and cohesive network that unites schools, universities, families, companies and public institutions. An alliance led by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS, with the patronage of the US Diplomatic Mission in Italy and the active contribution of Microsoft, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, ING Italy, Roboteco Italargon and Google.org.
The numbers tell the story of the project's scope: over 15,000 students involved, more than 30 cities reached, 33 universities as partners. But what really matters are the faces, the stories, the choices that change. Like that of a girl who, after a hackathon, decided to enrol in engineering. Or that of a teacher who introduced coding in the classroom starting from a webinar.
The journey continues. The next stops? Turin, Naples, Milan. And then who knows. Because when it comes to science and the future, with girls there's no turning back.
