Nurturing a more diverse pipeline of talent
When we designed our Brooklyn headquarters, we looked for ways to integrate the local community into the space and bring our commitments to economic, social and environmental responsibility to life. As we expand our office space in 2020, we’re excited to deepen these community connections and our commitment to fostering diversity in the tech industry by donating space in our headquarters to Code Nation, a non-profit organization that provides students from under-resourced high schools with access to essential technology, coding, and professional skills. By offering training, experiences, and connections to the industry, Code Nation sets students on a clear path to successful careers in technology.
Etsy has been a proud part of Code Nation’s community since 2014, hiring interns, hosting events, and empowering our engineering team to lead an on-site coding class at Etsy. We’re pleased to extend that support in 2020 by donating 6,000 square feet of space in our Dumbo office for the year, providing a springboard for Code Nation to deepen their outreach to students and schools in Brooklyn.
Last year, Code Nation reached more than 1,000 students from under-resourced schools in the New York area, 76% of which identified as Black or Latinx and 44% of whom identified as female, transgender or gender non-conforming. Code Nation’s new space at Etsy’s Dumbo headquarters provides a new base to deepen their outreach Brooklyn and the opportunity to provide hundreds more students with the skills, experiences and connections needed to access careers in technology.
Code Nation’s NYC Managing Director, Robert Bonner, told us that Etsy has been one of our longest and strongest partners in New York City.
“Since our inception, Code Nation was very fortunate to have Etsy software engineers volunteering to teach in some of our earliest classrooms. Many of those early folks later became invaluable mentors to our students. And now, Etsy’s HQ will serve as a conduit for bringing together our blossoming community of schools, foundations and tech companies to support the next generation of tech leaders. It’s like we’re being powered by Etsy.”
“We plan to leverage Etsy’s location in Dumbo to build bridges between the booming tech industry and the diverse local talent pool that we know exists in Brooklyn’s schools and communities. Etsy’s partnership with us demonstrates what we’ve already seen, which is a genuine dedication to closing the opportunity gap within tech education and diversifying the industry — based on both words and deeds.”
We’re excited to welcome the Code Nation team and their students to our Brooklyn office and to further support diversity in tomorrow’s tech talent.
To learn more about Code Nation and their work, visit their website. Find out more about Etsy’s diversity goals here and our latest progress here.
Note: Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman is Chairman of the Board for Code Nation.
