Beecher Terrace, Russell neighborhood youth sought for coding jobs

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Just weeks after Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer announced a $3 million federal grant to expand the city's Code Louisville program, a new initiative kicked off to extend training to the city's youth.

Although organizers had yet to decide between calling the program "Coding at The Beech" or "Code Louisville After School," the new program housed at Beecher Terrace aimed to connect youngsters living in the Russell neighborhood with the priceless skill of computer and software coding.

"Come on in! Have a seat," said Rider Rodriguez of KentuckianaWorks to a group of young men while hosting an orientation for the program Tuesday afternoon. "Welcome to Code Louisville After School."

People of all ages packed into The Beech clubhouse Wednesday, many paying enticed by the invitation to mold their futures by learning the skill of coding.

"I was 13 when I first got access to a computer," said Microsoft creator Bill Gates as an informative Code Louisville video played for the group.

"We organize you into small groups, not more than 20," said Rodriguez. "In this case, we're going to have a couple mentors working with you. The mentors are actually software developers; people who are doing it for a living right now."

As the Sector Strategies Director for KentuckianaWorks, Rodriguez has teamed with Metro Government and Jefferson County Public Schools to create an opportunity for students in and around the Russell neighborhood.

"We have the Zones of Hope under the Mayor's initiative," said Jefferson County Public Schools Chief Equity Officer John Marshall. "There's some students that might not have access to this coding opportunity and by putting it in this neighborhood we can give that to them and change their trajectory of the outcomes of their lives."

While the Code Louisville program is linked with the district's Males of Color initiative, the training is open and free to all students that are also Louisville library card holders.

During the five months of training, youngsters will not only learn a new skill, but then be required to put that skill to use in a manner that gives back to the community in which they have learned.

One of the requirements that we did put on the students is the entrepreneurs and the businesses in that area are going to get an internet presence," said Marshall. "These students, after trained, are going to go to the corner stores and the markets around that area and present to these owners an opportunity to get an internet presence pro bono. So it's not just training and you're done."

The program benefits, however, do not stop there. Upon completion of the program, students will be placed with paid opportunities.

"We will connect you to a summer job in this field with our SummerWorks programs," said Rodriguez.

Students will also be rewarded with new Chromebook computers to further their coding endeavors.

"There's no certificate at the end, but you're going to have a portfolio," began Rodriguez, "something that works that you'll actually be able to show off."

The Code Louisville program is slated to begin January 15 and run through May 15. To learn more about the Coding at the Beech/Code Louisville After School,

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