Ryan Seashore is founder and CEO of CodeNow, a national nonprofit that provides high school students from groups underrepresented in technology exposure to computer programming. CodeNow is expanding to Miami with the support of Knight Foundation. Above: Two D.C students work together on a programming project. Photo credit: Duy Tran.

On June 14, 15 and 28, CodeNow will launch its first coding workshop in Miami and begin teaching local youth 21st century skills.

Miami’s tech scene is buzzing, and we are thrilled to receive such a great welcome from the emerging tech scene. With the support of Knight Foundation, we will provide free in-person coding workshops on the weekends. Students who go through our program will get to look under the hood of technology and will be exposed to the possibility of a career in the tech field.

This is the perfect time for CodeNow to enter Miami. We’ve just completed the winter session at Y Combinator, where we were a member of the first cohort of nonprofits to benefit from the expertise of the startup accelerator. As part of the program, we’ve enhanced CodeNow to leverage technology and reach many more students. Miami is the first city where we are expanding since completing this milestone. We are looking forward to being a part of Miami’s emerging tech scene and to having an impact in the lives of underrepresented high schoolers. We have already worked with more than 350 students in New York, the Bay Area, and Washington, D.C. Now we’ll expand that number through our work in Miami.

As Miami’s tech industry grows in size, it also grows in importance. The LAB Miami, Kairos and Nearpod are local companies helping lead the way for South Florida by creating an energy and ecosystem around tech. By collaborating with them and other startups in the region we will get students excited about technology and grow this nascent scene organically.

CodeNow provides an entry point for high-potential, economically disadvantaged students. In the city of Miami, only 26 schools offer an Advanced Placement computer science course. We lower the barriers by introducing students to computer programming in a fun and interactive environment. We give them the tools and resources to start coding the very first day of class. Students work in small groups led by professional software engineers who volunteer their time to share knowledge of the industry. Together, they build interactive games in the Ruby programming language.

With the support of Knight Foundation we will run two pilot programs in Miami. We focus on students who receive free or reduced lunch in schools and our classes comprise at least 40 percent girls. Working with the local community, we want to drive a movement that provides Miami’s youth with a career path into the fast-growing tech industry and cultivate local talent to help expand the region’s pool of innovators and entrepreneurs.

The first Miami workshop will be held June 14, 15 and 28. Students are required to attend all three days. Visit the CodeNow website to apply for the Miami program, which is accepting applications through May 30.