I’m a big fan of App Camp for Girls, the Portland, Oregon-based organization whose mission is “to empower girls by providing engaging and accessible educational programs in software development.”

Founded by my friend Jean MacDonald, co-founder of Smile Software, App Camp for Girls “seeks to address the gender imbalance in technology professions by inspiring middle-school age girls with a broad introduction to the process of app development, from brainstorming and designing ideas to building and pitching their apps.” It’s a terrific goal and I was thrilled to hear that the group is expanding its presence to other areas of the country, including my own Garden State.

The rub? The deadline for applying is March 17th and the program is open to girls local to the camp’s location, who will be entering 8th or 9th grade in Fall 2015.

Dates and Locations for Summer 2015

    Vancouver, BC: July 6-10, 2015
    Seattle, WA: July 13-17, 2015
    Central New Jersey: July 20-24, 2015
    Portland, OR: July 27-31, 2015
    Portland, OR: August 17-21, 2015

If you have — or know — a girl who qualifies, do whatever it takes to get her registered. You could change her life.