• Programming is both a critical skill and fun activity. Many kids do not get the opportunity to learn to program until high school.

I had the opportunity to learn computer programming at a young age. I got to work on many fun projects using Scratch and really enjoyed participating in the online community. This helped me develop a passion for programming, and I went on to program in other advanced languages like Java, which is something I now use extensively for my robotics competitions. However, I realize there are many brilliant kids who have not had such opportunities, and often have no real introduction to programming until high school. I believe that having more young programmers join this community will flourish new ideas and innovations. Ultimately, programming is a way for kids to be creative that also happens to be highly applicable to real-world problems.

• The existing courses and camps that aim to teach kids programming are expensive and often far away.

There are already several existing courses and camps that aim to teach kids programming, however, they are hard to access for many kids, especially those coming from low-income neighborhoods. I want to introduce kids to programming in a way that is easily accessible and fun. I will bring everything needed to conduct the class including computers and teaching materials.

• Most kids find academic classes to be boring. This class will focus more on learning through exploration and help from peers.

The goal of the class will be to create an environment where kids can easily learn coding, collaborate, and get help from their peers. The class will cover fun, relevant topics such as video game design and animation. Students will be excited to share ideas and continue to code together.

• I will teach the Scratch programming language and have already developed lesson plans.

Scratch will be an excellent language to introduce the kids to programming, since it is free, visual, and the possibilities are limitless. Kids want to make games, animations, and art. Scratch allows them to do this very easily and already has an active online community with tons of public projects and support. Also, Scratch is accessible from any device with an internet connection and requires minimal setup. I have developed a detailed plan and schedule to offer this program that can be customized for different age-groups and communities. (see appendix)

• Eventually, I hope to grow Code Safari into a statewide organization, with other mentors teaching in schools and churches around MA.

In the beginning stages of this project, I will pilot the classes by myself. However as my effort grows, I may take on additional partners to help conduct classes and broaden outreach.

Dave Gutierrez - Mentor and collaborator

Prathip Banerji - Hosted my first workshop