Google RISE, Hack2Gen: Kids Code Mississippi Announcements
Big news from Fast Forward Mississippi’s Kids Code Mississippi project. In partnership with Springboard to Opportunities, we’re announcing expanded summer coding education programs and events courtesy of sponsorship and being awarded a Google RISE grant.
Springboard Cyber Summer
Springboard to Opportunities and Fast Forward’s Kids Code Mississippi teamed up to receive a Google RISE Award, the only one given in Mississippi for 2016. The award will fund a 12-week summer program targeting middle school in six federally-subsidized affordable housing communities in Mississippi. The “Springboard Cyber Summer Program” will offer 12 two-hour sessions led by professionals in computer-science related fields. The course will explore computer science concepts and skills related to game design, interactive storytelling, vector art creation, and 2D animation. The program is being implemented at four multifamily housing properties in Jackson, one in Batesville, and one in Hattiesburg.
Hack2Gen Events
Also in conjunction with Springboard to Opportunities, Fast Forward/Kids Code MS will be holding two hackathon-style events specifically for children and their guardians. The two-generational or “2gen” events are pilot events held at Lincoln Park apartments and The Village apartments, both in Jackson. The Lincoln Park event – June 11th – will focus on mothers/female mentors and girls, with a fathers/male mentors and boys event at The Village on June 18th.
The Hack2Gen events will be split into three tracts. Adults and children will attend separate but concurrent sessions in the morning, with adults attending a discovery session detailing opportunities that come from children learning to code, suggested pathways into a career path, existing resources that support computer science education, etc. During this time, children will be walking through a coding education exercise. Over lunch a motivational speaker will address both adults and kids, and the afternoon session will conclude with a “mini hackathon” in which adults team with kids to work through an actual project. There is even rumored to be a break for yoga exercise for everyone!
More information about Hack2Gen will be published closer to the event.
