Coded by Kids

We are applying for the Elevate Prize, because we are elevating opportunities for all underrepresented youth to become leaders and entrepreneurs in tech and innovation. We are fighting inequity and systemic racism by building a tech ecosystem to support the advancement of underrepresented young people. 

Funding from the Elevate Prize will provide us with the necessary tools to fulfill our vision for growth and expansion over the next 3-5 years. The awarded funding will allow us to build the infrastructure and capacity needed to develop a truly scalable model that can be expanded nationally, and support our efforts to change the way that underrepresented youth around the country, look at tech and innovation. We would allocate the resources to developing the infrastructure, systems, processes, and staff capacity needed to support growth. 

CbK is positioned to take the lead in dismantling systems and rebuilding them with inclusion, diversity, and equity at its core. I believe that levate’s network will support our efforts to fight inequity and systemic racism through tech and innovation.

A veteran of three branches of the military, I discovered my passion for tech while serving in the AirForce Reserves. The tech industry was innovative and exciting, but the lack of diversity was glaringly obvious. The need for increased access to tech education and diversity in the tech industry inspired Coded by Kids.

The early days of the organization consisted of me mentoring a single student on Saturday mornings. Word spread quickly about the free tech ed classes, until one student became over 1,100 students, learning in over 30 schools, and community centers.

The issues that we are working to address are being driven by deeply rooted systemic inequity. In 20 years, I want to be able to say that we built an organization that is able to impact the lives of all underrepresented people within a city. As we take a more systemic approach and raise the funding to build the infrastructure needed to support our work at scale, I believe that we will reach the point where our work can impact every underrepresented resident of a city.

Coded by Kids (CbK) works to increase economic mobility for underrepresented individuals by addressing the roots of systemic racial inequity. We do this by making long-term commitments to our young people and preparing them for careers and entrepreneurship opportunities in high-growth areas of the tech and innovation space. We focus on preparing our young people to future leaders of tech and innovation.

Black, Latinx, and women, are significantly underrepresented in the tech industry and as startup founders. For reference, the number of Black employees in technical roles at Facebook has only grown from one percent in 2014 to 1.5% in 2019. The number of women in technical roles has increased from 15% in 2014 to 23% in 2019. 

Since 2014, CbK has led the Philadelphia region to provide underrepresented young people 8 to 24 years old from underrepresented groups with software development, digital design, computer science, and tech startup–focused entrepreneurship programs. Our programs are designed to provide young people of all backgrounds with beginner to advanced level tech skills in areas that lack diversity, equity, and inclusion the greatest. We prepare our students for career and entrepreneurship opportunities with significant earning and growth potential.

CbK’s curriculum is modeled after talent development models used to develop and produce the highest-level performing athletes. The model emphasizes providing supportive training skills development as athletes/students progress from one level to the next. The result is an individual with the skills, confidence, and necessary resources to thrive in competitive landscapes and assume leadership roles. By applying similar models to tech and innovation education, our students are taught by project–based learning and receive exposure to mentorship, resources, and support networks in the tech and innovation space.

We are at the frontlines fighting inequity in digital and tech education and elevating underrepresented youth from marginalized communities. In the past year, we’ve realized in order to address the systemic inequities in tech, education, and our society, we have to dive deeper and not only dismantle oppressive systems but rebuild them to support historically marginalized and vulnerable populations. 

Our tech ecosystem will support underrepresented youth from cradle to career. Traditional school-based learning will be connected to community-based learning. Programs will be implemented in schools, recreation and community centers throughout the city, connecting traditional school-based education to community-based education programs, giving people the ability to move seamlessly from program to program.

8 year old students join CbK Classroom trying to learn to code, but they have not developed their literacy skills. Students come through our program struggling in algebra and pre-calculus because they lacked the foundational skills in their early learning years. They are unable to advance into STEM-related majors in college because they have to pay for additional credits to satisfy basic math requirements. 

Not only are we building high-quality and engaging education programs but we are providing underrepresented students with a deep level of support and resources that prepare them for tech-focused higher education, leadership positions, and entrepreneurship positions. We are resolving the generational wealth gap and building a tech ecosystem that will create access for underrepresented students, aspiring entrepreneurs, and founders, to obtain upward social and economic mobility. In order to dismantle the oppressive structures in our society, we have to rebuild the system to addresses the barriers created by systemic racism.

By creating equity in tech education and promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, we are providing a platform for underrepresented young people to excel and access the financial and social wealth endemic to the highly profitable tech industry. We are leveling the playing field.