#YesWeCode Education Summit: Teachers & Technologists, Unite!
On Thursday, April 14, #YesWeCode hosted the first #YesEdSummit bringing together tech educators, programmers, designers, and advocates for computer science education to answer the question:
“How can educators and tech professionals align efforts to create educations pathways for Oakland’s aspiring technologists?
View more event photos and reactions here: bit.ly/1TbLCzL
#YesWeCode gathered about 100 attendees to learn about the importance of computer science education from educators, technologists, advocates, and youth.
Kennan, a computer science educator in OUSD, spoke to the importance of introducing youth to opportunities in the tech sector from a young age.
“Five minutes of your time is worth a million to a youth looking for opportunities”
What does introducing youth to opportunities in tech look like?
Internships
Internship opportunities allow students to explore the industry and learn alongside professionals as they work on projects that prepare them for college or a career.
Job shadows + career days
Job shadowing is a great way for students to catch a glimpse into the tech world while learning about the industry. Career days similarly provide an opportunity for students to explore multiple positions and careers through talking to professionals about what they do.
Support events + local awareness campaigns
Attend local events and support local efforts to strengthen computer science education in schools.
Ready to take action? Fill out this form to learn more about how you can get involved in computer science education efforts.
Claire, the Computer Science Education Manager for OUSD, spoke to attendees about the vision for computer science education at OUSD.
OUSD is committed to creating tech pathways and are working to ensure that all students have access to rigorous computer science education by 2020.
Keynote speakers Jacky, an engineer from Clef, and Jose, from the City of Oakland engaged in a lively discussion about increasing access to tech for youth including the creation of tech pathways.
Attendees were able to dialogue with each other and find opportunities for future collaboration that expand economic opportunity for both the businesses and youth in Oakland.
To close out the evening, a graduating computer science student who attends a high school in OUSD urged attendees to make committed to engaging with students and helping support CS education effort.
The student left attendees with this message: “Believe in student leadership”
To learn more about #YesWeCode, visit yeswecode.org
