Social Impact
Our Commitment to Racial Justice, Empowerment, and Educational Equity
Women and People of Color have been historically under-represented in the tech industry, STEM fields, and power structures in society at large. We at The Coding Space aim to address this reality through the lens of our program in the following ways.
It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem.
- Coretta Scott King
Advocating for Racial Justice
The Coding Space is committed to being anti-racist advocates. Our staff and students reflect the many faces, cultures, and walks of life that proudly make up our world, and we are better because of it. We acknowledge that people of color have been historically under-represented in the tech industry, STEM fields, and power structures in society at large. We at The Coding Space aim to address this reality through the lens of our program and ensure that we are providing access and opportunity in the following ways:
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Maintain a staff of more than 50% Black, Indigenous, People of Color that reflects or expands the racial make-up of the area we serve. In New York City, for instance, that is ensuring our New York City team is at least 25% Black.
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Address the fact that racial equity is inextricably linked to economic opportunity through the following initiatives:
- Develop teacher-in-training programming that provides job opportunities to people of color with non-traditional work and educational backgrounds.
- Widen access to our program through our scholarship program, which aims to award need-based scholarships to 25% of our student body.
Empowering Women+
Founded to address the glaring gender gaps in STEM fields and the tech industry and to advocate for and champion female voices in all arenas, our GirlCode program is woven into the fabric of our company. We are committed to providing mentorship, opportunities for growth, and equitable access to girls, women, transgender people, gender non-conforming people, non-binary people, and people who want to be in a female-identified environment. To this end, we strive to achieve the following goals:
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Maintain a staff of more than 50% women+.
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Continue to offer and promote our GirlCode classes that provide an alternative space from male-dominated coding environments, encouraging our GirlCode students to have agency over their learning, be intrinsically motivated to challenge themselves and push past their socially constructed boundaries, and develop and trust their instincts about how they learn best.
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To promote change in both areas, we will:
Maintain ongoing training, mentoring, and support to equip our staff with the tools necessary to support and advocate for students and co-workers of all backgrounds. Maintain a compensation review process that includes pay equity analysis. Prioritize gender and racial diversity when filling leadership positions and creating internal teams.
Creating Educational Equity
We believe that everyone has a right to equitable education in a safe and inclusive learning environment and are committed to increasing access to our high-quality coding programs. Our scholarship program accounts for 25 percent of the students we teach. Our long-term goal as we work towards educational equity is to reach 50 percent of our students through at-cost and pro-bono services.
We present our company values and goals as a living document that we will review, adjust, and improve upon as we continue to evolve as a company, society, and world. We invite our colleagues, peers, and clients to join us in shaping a better future.