GeekGirlMeetup introduces the world’s first Crowdsourced Charity hack

An idea will be created by the participants during the event which will be provided to ActionAid.  This idea will aim at reaching a large audience in order to fight poverty.

“When we were looking for an organization for our Crowdsourced Charity hack, we were really drawn towards ActionAid since they work in a way that resonates well with us.  They also work with women as a main focus. We decided to create the Crowdsourced Charity hack event so that all participants can contribute with their skills, strategy, coding                 and design, during the weekend”, says GeekGirlMeetup Founder, Heidi Harman.

“We are very happy that GeekGirlMeetup has chosen to help ActionAid. We believe it is something extra when a network with so many talented women in Sweden wants to help women in other parts of the world with their expertise and knowledge,” says Ylva Jonsson Strömberg, Secretary General at ActionAid, Sweden.

Heidi elaborates about the GeekGirlMeetup organization to say, “We are proud to be geek girls, we are able to create new role models and large networks for women within the tech industry. It was absolutely necessary to start this organization, we knew that there were many talented women out there, but we didn’t know about them, which is why we created the environment we needed that could empower others.”

Ever since the first conference held at IFL at the Stockholm School of Economics, the web, code and start-up conference, GeekGirlMeetup, has been very successful in Sweden.  Since then, several conferences have been held in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo. GeekGirlMeetup is a unique knowledge exchange where most of the participants hold a session within their area of expertise.

“GeekGirlMeetup is one of the key driving factors behind Sweden’s tech and start-up environment since such a large group gets to exchange and share knowledge from each other’s experiences and expertise,” says Maria Nilsson at STING inkubator in Kista, Stockholm.

"Joining GeekGirlMeetup has helped me not only establish a digital network in Sweden, but also be part of an organization where digital enthusiasts share wonderful ideas and experiences," says American GeekGirlMeetup member, Annie Sarabia from the Swedish start-up Twingly.com.

For more information, please contact:

Heidi Harman, founder GeekGirlMeetUp.com, +46 (0) 73-772 15 63, heidi@runalong.se

Catrin Rising, pr- and media ActionAid.se, +46 (0) 733-80 80 74, catrin.rising@actionaid.se

Maria Söderberg, GeekGirlMeetUp.com +46 (0) 70-604 04 41 post@mariasoderberg.se

Heidi Wold, GeekGirlMeetUp.com +46 (0) 706 630 58 17, heidi.wold@gracecommunications.se

Maria Nilsson, STING inkubator Kista, +46 (0) 70-836 22 31

Annie Sarabia, Twingly.com, +46 (0) 13 473 10 06, annie.sarabia@twingly.com

www.geekgirlmeetup.com/live

ActionAid is an International organization that has been fighting poverty and injustice for more than 35 years. All projects and campaigns for ActionAid focus on supporting poor and exposed women and girls. Action Aid opened their office in Sweden in 2006.

GeekGirlMeetup is a web, code and start-up conference founded by Heidi Harman and Andie Nordgren in 2008 which aims to lift more female role models in the tech/entrepreneurship-sector and build new female networks.

More:http://www.arcticstartup.com/2009/10/15/geek-girl-meetup-gathers-100-women-to-talk-about-tech/