#CSforAll, What Does it Mean for Luma Lab?
Luma Lab has been a champion for change in the Tech Community since 2012 when our CEO Aaron Saunders hosted a Hackathon in Anacostia. Through our curriculum and programming we bolster an interest in technology, as well as provide access to rising technologies. As a recent Chase Mission Main Street Grant recipient and partner of schools and organizations like Howard University Middle for Math and Science and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington we have been able serve over 300 students of various skill levels and ages. We are excited to have an increased effort and strong community stake through the President’s newest initiative “Computer Science for All.” President Barack Obama’s announcement this past weekend highlights exactly why Luma Lab continues to diligently work to increase not only knowledge of technology but also diversity at the table.
Our mention in the White House press release for #CSforAll addresses some of our upcoming commitments in tech education. Expanding on the work that we’re already doing, Luma Lab is elated to bring its curriculum to three new DCPS schools in 2016 through a 3 year tiered funding partnership with TDF Foundation.
Our program will be offered to students at the Washington School for Girls this semester at no cost to the school due to generous funding from our grantor. As we finalize our partnership with our additional schools and complete our commitments to return to our existing partner organizations we are geared up for 2016! Our goal is to make CSforAll a reality in the District of Columbia.
In his Weekly Address President Barack Obama said “we have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future – which means not just being able to work with computers, but developing the analytical and coding skills to power our innovation economy”. President Obama couldn’t be more right. Luma Lab will continue to merge not only the hard skills for coding and programming but also encourage our students to be entrepreneurial and start thinking of themselves as inventors and creators and not just consumers of Technology. Addressing the need for access and education is just the first step in solving the problem.
We have to work to increase diversity of culture, race, sex, and age in Technology to ensure CSforAll doesn’t just mean for those who can afford it. As a dedicated partner to CSforAll, Luma Lab has committed to finding new ways to ensure that our answer to the problem and our method of action sevres what we have set out to do all along: “give everyone a seat at the digital table.”