As part of the EU Code Week initiative, the second Girls in Digital Week brought together students, teachers, and parents in Luxembourg for a day of inspiration, discovery, and honest conversation about who technology is truly for. WIDE ANDCO is proud to have partnered with the SCRIPT and the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Luxembourg to organise an impactful local event divided into two parts.
A Morning That Opened Minds
On March 24th, students aged 12 to 18 gathered for a morning designed to challenge assumptions, spark curiosity, and shine a light on the women who shaped the world of computing — starting with one extraordinary one-woman show.
Award-winning storyteller Zoe Philpott took the stage with ADA.ADA.ADA — a captivating performance that brings to life the story of Ada Lovelace, widely regarded as the world’s first computer programmer. A prototype LED dress pulsed with light as Zoe performed, while an intricate web of strings concealed beneath her garment was dramatically revealed at the show’s close. The result was theatre, history, and technology woven into something genuinely unforgettable.
“It was the perfect way to open the day — inspiring, imaginative, and a powerful reminder that the history of computing has always had bold, brilliant women at its heart.”
What made the performance especially powerful was its interactivity. The young audience weren’t passive spectators — they were drawn in, invited to ask questions and engage directly with Zoe throughout. The energy in the room was electric.
Hands-On, Minds On
Students dove into hands-on workshops covering artificial intelligence, robotics, and the often-overlooked issue of gender stereotypes in tech. Far from passive listeners, they built, tested, debated, and explored — pushing boundaries and challenging assumptions at every turn.
Each workshop offered a different lens: what technology is, who it’s for, and who gets left behind when we stop asking those questions. By the time the morning wrapped up, something had genuinely shifted in the room. These weren’t just workshops — they were windows into new eras of possibility.
An Evening for Educators & Parents
As the sun set, the focus shifted to the adults. Teachers and parents gathered for an evening dedicated to digital inclusion — and they proved just as captivated as the students before them. Zoe performed ADA.ADA.ADA once more, drawing the adult audience into the same interactive magic, the same laughter, the same wonder at Ada Lovelace’s story.
After a short break, participants were introduced to the Gsteam Community of Practice and its mission to institutionalise gender-sensitive teacher training across Europe. Then came one of the evening’s most thought-provoking moments: a group reflection exercise built around a Situational Judgement Test (SJT).
The scenarios weren’t hypothetical — they were drawn from real experiences shared by teachers across Europe, reflecting the painful realities of bias linked to gender, race, religion, disability, and intersectionality. Participants were asked to choose from four possible responses to each situation, prompting genuine reflection on instinct, fairness, and responsibility.
The result was an engaged, energised adult audience hungry for more — more conversation, more resources, and more tools to support the young people in their care.
A Day Worth Remembering
Girls in Digital Week in Luxembourg was more than an event. It was a reminder that closing the gender gap in technology starts early — with the stories we tell, the role models we celebrate, and the conversations we’re brave enough to have. We’re proud to have been part of it, and we can’t wait for what comes next.
Over the course of one remarkable day, more than 100 participants came together — young students and the adults who champion them: teachers and parents united by a shared will to empower the next generation through digital inclusion. They explored, they questioned, they created — and they left with something that no workshop alone can teach: the conviction that technology belongs to all of us.
Closing the gender gap in tech starts early. It starts with the stories we tell, the role models we celebrate, and the conversations we’re brave enough to have. Seeing so many young minds and committed adults, equally curious and equally energised, reminded us exactly why this work matters.
We’re proud to have been part of it — and we can’t wait for what comes next.
©Girls in Digital Week 2026 / Emmanuel Claude
