Black Lives Matter: How we're striving to do more

The CodeSpeak Labs team has been developing our antiracism commitments: our contributions to the epic changes that are happening in our country led by young BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color). Here's what we've been working on:

1. Creating a safe space: Training our team on techniques that hold space for students and address systemic racism in our society and community while ensuring our classrooms are proactively inclusive

2. Engaging our students in the conversation: Integrating into our curriculum relevant topics such as bias in software algorithms and social justice themes recommended by the Southern Poverty Law Center (Identity/Diversity/Justice/Action)

3. Encouraging our staff: Providing paid time to volunteer for antiracist causes and to educate themselves on what it means to be antiracist

4. Recruiting diverse role models to join our team: Prioritizing recruiting channels that enable us to recruit talented staff that our students can look up to

5. Expanding opportunities: Providing coding education for BIPOC youth who otherwise would not be able to access it, including offering 15% of our class openings this summer free of charge through our nonprofit partners

1. If you know of a BIPOC youth who would be interested in attending coding camp but might not otherwise be able to access it, or a nonprofit that works with BIPOC youth that might want to partner with us, email us at coachoc@codespeaklabs.com. 
2. If your child is thinking about attending coding camp, ask them to consider "The Amazing Race" (world cultures) theme. We developed this curriculum with a focus on reflection on students' own identities and appreciation for others' cultures. Students use code to explore and celebrate places as diverse as Nigeria, Turkey, Brazil, and Thailand, and we have tracks for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced students.