Non-Profit #YesWeCode, Aims To Teach 100,000 Black Youth How To Code

The goal of the YesWeCode initiative is to target low-opportunity youth and provide them with necessary resources and tools to become world-class computer programmers.

I stumbled upon this story on urbanintellectuals. As being a young black tech who self-taught myself coding and design, I couldn’t help but write about this non-profit.

Blacks are underrepresented in the fields of computer science and engineering. So what Van Jones is doing with one of his non-profit’s called YesWeCode, aims to bridge that gap.

In 2014, Jones put together a team of compassionate people to form YesWeCode an organization dedicated to finding ways to uplift today’s urban youth and help them achieve a more promising future.

The goal of the YesWeCode initiative is to target low-opportunity youth and provide them with necessary resources and tools to become world-class computer programmers.

This is a highly valuable skill in the 21st century that will ensure a shift the trajectory of their future and lives. I can personally say I come across many tech jobs and the future is bright for those who want to develop tech start ups.

Speaking about the YesWeCode organization, Jones said this:

“I don’t care if they are ‘Straight Out of Compton’, from Detroit, Chicago or Harlem; I will teach 100,000 black children computer coding. More, if I blessed with more time in this life.”

– Van Jones, founder, Yes We Code, Oakland, CA

The program’s mission is based on three principles : Communicate, Convene, and Catalyze.

From its website:

YesWeCode acts as a connector and catalyzer, providing backbone infrastructure that amplifies the work of our network partners. Since July 2014, #YesWeCode’s strengths have been to:

• Communicate: In partnership with Facebook, YesWeCode launched an interactive website with a powerful search tool that enables youth to find local coding education resources. This tool also helps our coding partners recruit volunteers and mentors.

• Convene: YesWeCode has convened 100+ coding practitioners and stakeholders in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and New Orleans. #YesWeCode partnered with Qeyno Labs to host a Start-Up Weekend hackathon in Oakland in February, focused on uplifting young African American men and boys.

• Catalyze: In July, #YesWeCode launched at the 20th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival with a youth-focused hackathon and a headline performance by Prince, before a festival audience of 500,000 people.

• The Pipeline:

  The job-training three-step pipeline is designed to guide youth from introductory coding programs, to immersive job-training programs, and eventually into employment. Our national pilot program will launch in Oakland.

  “Diversity brings so much more to the table – and by focusing outside of the usual and rewarding all sorts of people in tech – we can only make it better. #YesWeCode is doing exactly that.”
  – Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple