Out-of-school time programs play a vital role in sparking students’ passion for STEM fields and equipping them with the skills to pursue related careers. That’s why we’re honored to partner with Urban Coders Guild, an exceptional pre-college STEM/STEAM program making immense strides in the North Tulsa community through its transformative afterschool and summer programs.

Urban Coders Guild is on a mission to provide free, high-quality computer science education to youth from underserved, underrepresented, and otherwise underresourced communities. Through hands-on, project-based learning in coding, software development, and more, Urban Coders Guild equips students with vital technical skills. Perhaps more importantly, it cultivates the problem-solving mindset, critical thinking abilities, and collaborative skills that will propel students toward success wherever their paths may lead.

Its holistic approach to building a diverse tech ecosystem from the ground up sets Urban Coders Guild apart. Following the guild model, the program develops the next generation of tech talent and empowers them to train future coders, programmers, and engineers. This creates a self-perpetuating cycle that keeps underrepresented communities engaged in STEM fields.

Under the visionary leadership of founder and executive director Mikeal Vaughn, Urban Coders Guild is doing truly transformative work. One powerful example is the 1921 Historic Black Wall Street Online Business Directory, created in collaboration with students to honor the legacy of the prosperous Greenwood neighborhood and its Black entrepreneurs.

During the recent Black Futures Hackathon in honor of Black History Month, students from Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District and across the city came together with Urban Coders Guild and Atlas School Tulsa to create their own robotics projects. Nearly 50 diverse students from 6th grade through high school spent 12 hours learning to build and control robotic cars, with teams taking home first-, second-, and third-place prizes.

This summer, Urban Coders Guild is offering free camps covering Web Development, where students will dive into HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and more to build responsive websites, as well as a Unity Game Development course for aspiring game developers to master C# and object-oriented programming while creating their own games.

Urban Coders Guild goes beyond nurturing coding prowess. It fosters confidence, comfort in STEM settings, and a profound sense of community and belonging among its students. By removing financial barriers, providing meals and transportation assistance, and creating an inclusive environment, the program ensures all students can access its invaluable opportunities.

We’re continually inspired by Urban Coders Guild’s commitment to educating parents about STEM possibilities, showcasing diverse tech career paths, and combating income inequality along the way. Initiatives like this make us hopeful for a future where everyone feels they truly belong in STEM.

Join us in celebrating the incredible impact of Urban Coders Guild on Tulsa’s youth. To learn more and get involved, visit their website at UrbanCodersGuild.org.