Algorithm & Flow (coding classes)
BOSS: Coding Workshops On-line
Summer Session: July 24th - August 4th
1st Semester: October 8th - Dec. 22th
BOSS (Business of Student Success) is teaming up with Faithworks Compton’s: Algorithm & Flow coding staff to offer this exciting on-line workshop. This is a course for curious coders and young game developers who want to level up from being just a player and get exposed to some developer fundamentals. This course will introduce core coding concepts and powerful tools. We will use the PlayCanvas platform to create 3D content. We will also explore Scratch (visual programing) and the Java language syntax.
After-School Program
1st Semester: Sept. 19 - Dec. 22 2022
2nd Semester: Jan. 9 - May 26 2023
Algorithm & Flow (a Faithworks Compton nonprofit program) is partnering with the Compton Sheriff's Youth Activities League to provide after-school coding classes for the Compton community. Students will build games, develop interactive 3D applications, author websites and use Java software development tools to build a strong foundation in authoring digital applications. Classes will be held, after school, twice per week, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the Y.A.L. building (700 N. Alameda St., Compton, CA 90221).
Pandemic Program (May 1st - November 21 2021)
Algorithm & Flow, a Faithworks Compton program, aims to diversify the tech industry by training the next generation of urban computer scientists. Our program supports approximately 50 students (age 7-17 years) who may receive a Chromebook laptop, a mobile internet hotspot and prepaid data plan to attend free coding classes 2-3 times per week for 30 weeks! Our COVID-safe remote learning curriculum teaches students to build interactive 3D games, author websites and use Java software development tools. We focus on Black and Latino youth in South Los Angeles but we welcome the world to apply to our program. We intentionally provide relatable instructors and teaching models that reflect the culture and ethnicity of our students. We’ve created a model that offers a pathway to high paying careers that can shift the life trajectory of a student, his/her family and the community at large.
Congratulations to Our Coders!
Pandemic On-line Course (April 6th - April 22 2020)
One of our remote-learning coders completed her first 3D game. Play it here! (Touch the screen, or arrow-keys, to move player.)
The Mission
After spending 15 years writing software for Dreamworks Animation SKG, Kwesi Davis has teamed up with Faith Inspirational Missionary Baptist Church & Faithworks Compton to launch Algorithm & Flow; a program focused on teaching underrepresented youth the fundamentals of software engineering.
Note: Algorithm & Flow is a Faithworks Compton program. Faithworks Compton is a 501(c)(3) organization; federal tax ID 46-3612645.
The Opportunity
The unemployment rate for African Americans was 6.7% in April of 2019. That puts it 86% above the national rate for all adults. Employment of computer and information technology occupations is projected to grow 13% from 2016 to 2026; faster than the average for all occupations. These occupations are projected to add about 557,100 new jobs.
“It doesn’t take a math wizard to excel at software. If you can read, you can code.”
— Kwesi Davis, ProGRAM Director
The Challenge
African Americans represent 14% of the US population. A recent study found, 3.7% of students who sat for the AP Computer Science exam were African American, with no African American students sitting for the exam in 11 states. Similar lower-than-national-average numbers can be found for other minority groups, such as Hispanics and Native Americans.
There are many barriers blocking people from pursuing programming as a career. Girls, for example, may be discouraged by gender stereotypes. Communities of color may have sparse access to tech training and equipment resources. STEM adverse personalities, in general, may feel they lack the love of mathematics to write code. We must shatter the obstacles sitting in front of underrepresented groups.
9%
of STEM workers are Black
7%
of STEM workers are Hispanic
338%
computer job growth since 1990
“As the U.S. has transformed rapidly to an information-based economy, employment in science, technology, engineering and math occupations has grown – outpacing overall job growth. Since 1990, STEM employment has grown 79% (9.7 million to 17.3 million) and computer jobs have seen a whopping 338% increase over the same period.”