Chic Geek: Geeky Summit 2016

The Cause

At Chic Geek, we want to encourage more women to be builders who leverage technology to shape the world we live in. We do that by creating a welcoming, supportive community for women exploring the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship.

Since 2013, Chic Geek has been running events and programs that help women build confidence in their technology skills, meet other like-minded women and step up to be leaders, role-models and mentors. From our beginner friendly coding workshops that we run in partnership with Ladies Learning Code, to Hack Night, Geeky Dinner and our unique mentorship program, Chic Geek serves the community by providing opportunities for women to learn new skills.

In 2016, we are planning to launch a 2-day conference called the Chic Geek Summit. It will bring together female leaders from across North America so 100 women in Calgary can participate in hands-on workshops and interactive sessions to create the most engaged community for women in technology in Canada. We have already started planning the Summit and are hoping to launch in Spring or Fall of 2016. The Chic Geek Summit will be Calgary’s biggest showcase of women in technology, which will have a ripple effect into the next generation as we show the next generation of young women all the opportunities that are available in technology.

This is a critical time to support women in technology. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector produces over $160 billion in revenue and employs half a million people. While this is a booming sector across North America, less than 5% technology companies are started by women. Chic Geek is an organization that’s providing women with the skills, tools and support so we can change that. We want Field Law to be part of that story.

Who Will it Benefit?

The Chic Geek Summit will benefit women because it:
Provides tools and resources for women to develop their technology skills, so they feel confident to continue learning independently
Creates a community of like-minded women who want to explore technology together, making it a collaborative and supportive experience
Encourages women to step up and be leaders and role-models for other women in technology

In 2014, we ran 57 events and had over 800 women, youth and men participate. We count over 500 people on our regular mailing list and 2,000 people in our social media networks. Chic Geek is built on the passion and dedication of nine volunteers, who donated over 3,000 hours. The Chic Geek Summit will enable our organization to increase our impact in the community while providing us with a sustainable source of revenue that will support the organization for the following years.

The skills and confidence women have built at Chic Geek resonate in their lives, outside of our organization. In a community survey we conducted, women in our community said:

“Chic Geek has helped me build a network of fellow driven females who also work in the technology community.”

“Being involved with Chic Geek has made me better at my job. I’m able to understand the technical jargon that has become a daily part of my work.­”

“Being involved in Chic Geek has encouraged me to pursue my long put-off dream of becoming a web designer.”

“Chic Geek is important in our community because it creates a bond and a stage for women to discover the importance of coding and how to contribute to the society through incessant learning.”