PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia nonprofit aims to narrow the city’s racial gap when it comes to science and technology.
1Philadelphia focuses on educating youth of color on the nuts and bolts of technology and entrepreneurship, something executive director Danae Mobley says these students are rarely able to access.
“Where we are a majority minority city, we want to make sure the tech force here looks like our population,” she said. “We’re always trying to make sure they can see themselves in tech.”
Mobley said showing them this can be a lifelong endeavor. “We have kids go over a years-long model where they can go through our program and grow up with us,” she said.
“So they come through one of our exposure programs, which might be intro to coding or intro to innovation, and they’re learning, ‘So if I have a problem, how do I solve it?’”
Lennon Antunish is a perfect example. Once a student of the program, he is now an instructor. “To come back and give back to my community is one of the most transformative experiences,” said Antunish.
Educating and ultimately serving the community is something Lennon also instills in his students, like 16-year-old Giane. “Yes, tech is fun,” she said, “but you can also help other people.”
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Damiar says the classes help him find answers to technology questions and also foster innovation. “Doing tech is fun because you learn how to do new things,” he said. “If you don’t know how to do it, now you do.”
1Philadelphia’s longterm goal is to position Philly as the nation’s center of equity in the technology and innovation sectors. Mobley and her team are working toward that goal with more than 50 other organizations, by raising over $250,000 for underrepresented tech businesses run by people of color.