How CodeDay inspires students to unlock their creative potential in tech

gamesindustry.biz:

Sponsored article

Tuesday 22nd February 2022

From its humble beginnings in 2009 as a group of college friends volunteering, to its growth as a non-profit organization that operates across the US and expanding internationally, CodeDay's mission has been to inspire young people to explore a future in tech.

Since its inception, over 50,000 students have taken part in CodeDay events, with the titular beginner-friendly workshops welcoming people who have no knowledge of programming or never even considered working in technology.

CodeDay's executive director Tyler Menezes knows first hand the impact the organization's work can have on changing lives, having been volunteering from the beginning.

"At the very first CodeDay we ever ran, we had a student who was working at Best Buy, he was not particularly interested in technology but he always had a lot of ideas for things he wanted to make," he explains. "He went and made a really fun multiplayer game, and then he went to the next CodeDay and started to feel more confident in his abilities as a person in technology."

Tyler Menezes, CodeDay

While this student dropped out of high school without gaining a diploma, his enthusiasm for tech sparked by CodeDay led him to continue networking with other tech professionals and he soon got a job in the industry; a decade on, he's a senior-level engineer for a large tech company. "For me, that was the reason that I decided I wanted to work for this organization because we could make such a big impact."

In order for CodeDay to deliver its growing demand for workshops and to support students navigating their first steps into the tech industry, it's seeking more volunteers. In particular, it's seeking mentors to be part of a fun and welcoming team