G|CODE Updates!
Investing in the health, wealth and emotional well-being of Black, Brown and Indigenous young women pursuing careers in tech benefits all of us. We could not accomplish our goals without the support, involvement and enthusiasm of over 364 supporters. We took the power that we have working as a collective to address racial and gender disparities in tech by exceeding our initial fundraising goal.
Thanks to your support, we were also selected as Amex100for100 black women entrepreneurs, which means we were able to be connected to a broader network of black women entrepreneurs as well as provided year-long support from the American Express community. We appreciate you all so much, however, the work is not done. We are hard at work educating our second cohort and mentoring and supporting our first. It is more critical now than ever to close the wealth gap and fund the housing component! The pandemic has amplified the housing insecurity crisis, thus we need your ongoing support to reach our goal.
Thank You!
G|Code House was launched in 2018 by Bridgette Wallace, Founder, and a small staff of volunteers. The main project of G|Code House has been transforming an old Victorian house into a residential learning space for up to 15 young women. The program’s goal is to provide computing skills for women, many of whom are homeless or home-insecure, so they can pursue advanced education in a computing-related field or enter a job at a technology company. G|Code House seeks to offer a two-year program that continuously adds a cohort of junior participants when the senior cohort graduates.
What we did with your support!
- We designed a 10-week Intro to G|Code web dev course to begin engaging with women of color with an interest and aptitude in tech.
- All costs associated with the program (technical equipment, food, transportation, etc) were fully covered by G|Code, reducing barriers to participate.
- In the Spring of 2020 our first cohort graduated! We maintained a 100% retention rate despite the transition to virtual learning. Cohort members have gone on to pursue full time boot camps, paid apprenticeships and individualized self learning tracks.
- We provided financial support to G|Code graduates accepted to local long-term tech training bootcamps
- Due to overwhelming interest, we welcomed a second virtual Intro to G|Code cohort in October 2020!
- We are continuing to fundraise and develop partnerships to prepare for our 2 year program at the G|Code House. We also exceeded our 50k goal and continue our crowdfunding campaign to renovate the future home of G|Code!
Spotlight G|CODE Changemakers
Nicole Bazile & Carolin Diaz
In their words....
Through G|Code House and Resilient Coders, Nicole Bazile has successfully transitioned from finance into software. Nicole recently secured a role at Homesite Insurance as a Software Engineer. After completing G|Code in April, Nicole stated, “I joined G|Code to learn new skills and transition into a new career field…I learned that I am capable of learning complex skills. I believe that I will be able to make an impact in this field. I see myself blending in seamlessly into any corporate environment.” We are so proud of Nicole for setting a goal, pursuing it, and achieving her dream in less than a year!
Through G|Code House and Resilient Coders, Carolin Diaz has successfully transitioned from digital arts and education into software. Carolin recently secured a role at Broad Institute as a Software Engineer focusing on creating pixel-perfect user interfaces.
After completing G|Code in April, Carolin stated, “I have learned that I can accomplish whatever I set out for myself. When first arriving at G|Code I was afraid of not understanding the content and being intimidated by the topics. G|Code has provided me with the confidence to continue pursuing my passion for tech and become successful in the field.”
Carolin became a software engineer in under a year during a pandemic. Can’t wait to see what she will accomplish next year
More about G|CODE
G|CODE is a Boston-based innovative social venture addressing the structural inequities that disproportionately impact communities of color. These include disparities in access to stable housing, as well as wealth and opportunity gaps. By providing a stable home, quality technical education, intentional community, and professional development resources, we strive to launch Black and Brown young women into the tech industry as disruptive change makers. We are city planners, technologists, and activists working towards equity and social justice by providing young female and non binary people of color with foundational needs such as housing, inclusive communities, quality education, and expanded access to economic opportunity.
G|CODE HOUSE online services and training is critical especially during this enduring period of quarantine, it is essential that we create space to control the spread of COVID-19 while allowing for uninterrupted learning.
The short-term program includes:
Intro to G{Code}
Intro to G{Code} is free program designed to give young black, brown and indigenous female and non binary individuals between the ages of 18-25 their first exposure to coding to uncover interest and aptitude in tech in a supportive, inclusive and safe environment.
Intro to G{Code} runs twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the Fall.The program is 10 weeks long with cohorts meeting once per week on Sundays with weekly check-ins with mentors and sponsors.
The program includes:
Training in web development fundamentals - HTML,CSS, and Javascript
Multiple portfolio-ready projects pushed to GitHub
Workshops for personal and professional development such as financial literacy, negotiation skills, physical and mental well-being , personal branding, resume review and interview preparation
Onsite tours of Boston tech companies ( prior to Covid)
Community time to cultivate long lasting relationships amongst cohort members and the G{Code}team
Resources for further technical learning upon completion of the program
The long-term program includes:
9 MONTHS OF IN-CLASS TRAINING
6 MONTHS OF AN INTERNSHIP/CO-OP
9 MONTHS OF SPECIALTY TRAINING (E.G. CYBER SECURITY)
Students gain:
TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTION AND SKILLS
EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE
MENTORSHIP AND PERSONAL SUPPORT IN A SAFE, FOCUSED HOME
With continued backing we can complete the mission G|Code was founded upon: to provide tech training, support & a place to safely learn and call home.
We are hard at work educating our inaugural cohorts without the housing component, however the food & housing insecurity that many of our changemakers still face amplifies the need for us to make the living component of G|Code a reality.
G|CODE renovations have been underway with several design and construction partners providing estimates done by Sasaki, Arup, Columbia Construction, BlackSpace (with anticipated renovation completion planned for 2021-2022).
Photos courtesy of Sasaki and Corban Swain.
