Many Dojos, like the Thomson Reuters Dojo in London, run series of girl-centric events to increase the number of girls at their Dojos. CoderDojo London and Thomson Reuters teamed up in 2015 to host their first-ever all-girls Dojo. Following the resounding success of the event, CoderDojo London now run monthly girl-centric Dojos.

In their research report, CoderDojo Scotland describe the success of a summer-camp-style event they ran in Inverness: 25 girls, who had never been at a Dojo, attended five coding sessions over the course of a week. 40% of them went on to attend more than one mixed Dojo session, compared to 23% of girls returning after first attending either a single mixed or girls-only Dojo session.

Tips for running sustainable serial girl-centric events

• Invite girls back to each event Your events should be fully inclusive and open to boys. It’s a good idea to hold back a set amount of tickets for girls per event to encourage gender parity.

• Describe each event in a fun jargon-free way which appeals to girls of all ages.

• Use images of girls participating in your Dojo in social media communications.

• Encourage women to mentor and help out at the events.

• Incorporate table-based activities (small groups dedicated to a specific activity), giving consideration to the content used.