Through the expansion of educational content in recent years, YouTube has become much more than a site for entertaining escapism, and video creators have heralded in a form of accessible, digital education for all ages. But the longstanding problem of representation remains: Very little of this content is fronted by women of color. With the launch of brand-new education initiative CODE Along, STEM organizations Black Girls CODE and GoldieBlox are working to bridge that opportunity gap, using the platform to support underrepresented communities in fields like computer science, tech, and even gaming.
The free educational series, hosted by Black women, was designed to engage with the flexible learning styles and social media-oriented lives of Gen Z in particular, incorporating different types of coding skills and computer interests through step-by-step guided tutorials. “For too long, Black girls and girls of color have not seen themselves represented in STEM education content — resulting in our communities being excluded despite their interest. This is the exact issue that CODE Along aims to address,” said Sofia Mohammed, interim executive director of Black Girls CODE.
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Despite its growing importance, and increasing interest among young learners, only 53 percent of U.S. schools offer a computer science curriculum. That pipeline might widen for some college students, but certainly not all — only 20 percent of computer science bachelor’s degrees go to women, and an even smaller number to women of color. The diversity problem is even prevalent in free resources. According to CODE Along’s creators, the initiative was inspired by the fact that the majority of free online content teaching computer science is still catered to a specific, predominantly male audience.
The two organizations combined their years of experience engaging underrepresented communities in STEM to create something that looks very different. Nonprofit Black Girls CODE has dedicated its work to connecting young women of color with skills and resources that will increase their representation in tech and computer programming. Founded in 2011, Black Girls CODE has since expanded to 15 chapters providing young people across the country with workshops, enrichment activities, summer camps, and clubs exploring virtual reality, robotics, game design, web design, and mobile app development. GoldieBlox, launched in 2012 as a single book and building activity kit on Kickstart, now offers a full line of unique toys, shows, and online activities designed to engage young girls in STEM fields.
“Both Black Girls CODE and GoldieBlox have over a decade’s worth of expertise on getting girls interested in STEM, and by combining forces, we have completely reimagined how computer science can be taught by putting Black girls and other marginalized youth at the center of our approach, and reaching them where they are, on YouTube and social media,” said GoldieBlox founder and CEO Debbie Sterling.
CODE Along’s video-based tutorials will be released to YouTube in three modules, covering topics like coding digital and animated art and designing game maps in the popular video game Roblox. Each module features several time-stamped chapters walking viewers through necessary coding skills, explained by women of color who are experts in the field in their own right.
“The videos introduce and teach viewers basic concepts using p5.js (a JavaScript library that makes visual, interactive applications easy to write), as well as designing games in Roblox Studio,” Mohammed told Mashable. The modules also include a downloadable cheat sheet on the functions and capabilities of different lines of code, with each video building off the other to form a beginner’s coding foundation using digital tools accessible online for free.
The educational series will also release special guest interviews with other women of color (the organization’s “role models”) creating and excelling in various industries, like Jeannail Carter, one of the first professional Black female esports gamers, and even actor and gamer Ella Balinska, who starred in the live action Resident Evil film and the newest Charlie’s Angels installment.
All of the interviews will be available on the program’s website, and will be posted to the Black Girls CODE Instagram page under their “CODE Along” highlight.
“The accessible and asynchronous nature of the coding content allows viewers and participants to be able to utilize the modules however they see fit — whether that’s in schools, alone at home, with friends, and more,” said Mohammed. “We want girls to be excited about computer science and coding technology, entertained by our hosts and projects, and want to share what they’ve learned about with their friends and classmates.”
Through the combination of these offerings, CODE Along deftly goes beyond just representative content. Instead, its creators argue that visibility can also be paired with action, offering young people transferable skills that not only show that people like them can in fact succeed, but tells them exactly how to do it.
The first episode of CODE Along is already available on the Black Girls CODE YouTube page. New episodes will be posted weekly, and people are encouraged to explore additional content, including role model bios, on the CODE Along landing page.
