High school students teach kids how to program video games

With the goal of giving opportunities to underserved communities in areas of computer science, three inspired teens from Tesoro High School of Rancho Santa Margarita have created an interactive project called Game Changer.

Ethan Kosaki, Ethan Wang and Daniel Kim have been teaching kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Anaheim-Cypress how to program videogames, and hope to inspire them to continue pursuing their passions by learning how the concepts can relate to their lives and possible future careers.

The Game Changer team decided on using Tynker, an intuitive learning tool that teaches those new to programming, or even technology in general. Through using code blocks, it allows students to get a feel for how to program basic games, and to have a sense of accomplishment.

The teens are members of the 2020 cohort of the Dragon Kim Fellowship Program, which is run by the Dragon Kim Foundation, a nonprofit - http://dragonkimfoundation.org - whose mission is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions.

The Foundation has a memo of understanding with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Anaheim-Cypress to run STEM mentoring programs such as Game Changer at their clubs. This is the third year they've partnered with them.

The 2020 Fellowship includes a total of 53 students from 20 high schools across the state who are implementing 23 social service projects that will benefit thousands of people, including many living in challenged neighborhoods and/or are experiencing homelessness. Each of the projects will be supported by Foundation grants of up to $5,000.

At the end of the program, the top teams will present their projects to a panel of esteemed judges at the annual Dragon Challenge. One team will win additional funding to continue their project.

The Fellowship was founded in 2015 in honor of the late Dragon Kim, a talented young musician, athlete and scholar who wanted to help others. It has become a seedbed for the next generation of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to create positive change.
For more information, visit http://dragonkimfoundation.org.

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About the Dragon Kim Foundation
The Dragon Kim Foundation was established in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by Grace and Daniel Kim to honor the memory of their late son Dragon Kim, who had been attending the Orange County School of the Arts. The mission of the Dragon Kim Foundation is to inspire our youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions. Visit the website at http://dragonkimfoundation.org.