We make software literacy accessible to underrepresented communities. We’re not just consumers of technology. We are authors.
The Vision
After spending 15 years writing software, for Dreamworks Animation SKG, Kwesi Davis is teaming up with Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church & Faithworks Compton to launch Algorithm & Flow; a pilot program focused on teaching underrepresented youth the fundamentals of software engineering. A select group of sixteen high school freshman will spend two hours, everyday (Mon-Fri) after school (5p-7p), building mobile applications, 3D games and data processing tools in the new Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church Computer Laboratory. By the end of the school year, these apprentice software developers will have mastered enough Java programming skills to sit for the AP Computer Science Exam.
“It doesn’t take a math wizard to excel at software. If you can read, you can code.”
— Kwesi Davis, ProGRAM Director
The Challenge
There are many barriers blocking people from pursuing programming as a career. Girls, for example, may be discouraged by gender stereotypes. Communities of color may have sparse access to tech training and equipment resources. STEM adverse personalities, in general, may feel they lack the love of mathematics to write code. We want to shatter obstacles sitting in front of underrepresented groups.
9%
of STEM workers are Black
7%
of STEM workers are Hispanic
338%
computer job growth since 1990
“As the U.S. has transformed rapidly to an information-based economy, employment in science, technology, engineering and math occupations has grown – outpacing overall job growth. Since 1990, STEM employment has grown 79% (9.7 million to 17.3 million) and computer jobs have seen a whopping 338% increase over the same period.”