Tucked away in the red-brick community center of the South Jamaica Houses in New York City is a small multipurpose room filled with plastic chairs and tables. A piece of paper taped on the door shows the schedule for the day, with Hood Code starting at 3 p.m.
Right on time, the quiet room fills with giggles and sneaker squeaks as children pile into the space, each one excitedly talking over the other.
Hood Code is an organization that provides free coding classes to students who live in New York City’s public housing. These apartments are home to more than half a million low-income families and individuals, and 25% of them are under the age of 18.
Founder Jason Gibson said Hood Code was specifically designed to be in these neighborhoods and serve this community.
“I wanted to make it easily accessible to the families that live here,” Gibson said.
The workshops introduce the basics of coding to kids ages 8 to 13, and have so far taught about 300 children in housing buildings throughout the city. The programming also helps them develop problem-solving skills, self-confidence and innovative thinking.
The students primarily use Scratch, a free block-based language program that allows them to express themselves creatively and learn the basics of how professional coders create some of their favorite video games and apps.
Many of the kids embark on quests to make their own video games or re-create their favorites, finding inspiration in games like Flappy Bird and Geometry Dash.
Gibson founded Hood Code in 2019, but the idea for the program was born two years prior — from behind bars.
While serving a five-year sentence, Gibson spent most of his time expanding his knowledge and researching both the tech industry and African American history.
“That was my first opportunity to really sit down and read,” Gibson said. “And I realized how much of a disadvantage I was at and how kids from my neighborhood are in.”
Those disadvantages inspired Gibson to provide his community…
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