Newark Students Will Take Part In 'Code as a Second Language'

NEWARK, NJ — The Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Panasonic Foundation recently announced a partnership that will teach computer coding skills to hundreds of students in four cities across the nation, including Newark.

Other cities included in the Code as a Second Language (CSL) effort include Reno, Nevada; Atlanta, Georgia; and Calexico, California.

Through the partnership, Panasonic and HHF will teach middle and high school kids to code and will expose them to tech professionals, who can serve as mentors, according to a joint news release.

The Coding as a Second Language Panasonic Foundation effort will include Coding as a Second Language Academies, which are 6- to 8-week coding courses with students meeting once a week for 1 to 1.5 hour, either as part of their school day or as part of an afterschool program.

The students will also be referred to the LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) Network for ongoing on-line instruction and will connect to other students, mentors, networking, resources, STEM-related events and later potential internships and full-time positions with Fortune 500 companies.

The move gained praise from Gov. Phil Murphy.

“Educating the next generation of workers means training more coders, software engineers, web developers and others with skills in computer science,” Murphy said. “I am grateful to the Panasonic Foundation and Hispanic Heritage Foundation for partnering to expand computer science education for Newark students and preparing them for jobs in the 21st-century economy.”

“This collaborative partnership helps us address one of the most critical issues minority students are facing today,” said Alejandra Ceja, Executive Director Panasonic Foundation. “The harsh reality is that a lot of students of color in predominantly low-income areas do not have access to the full range of stem courses in their schools.”

"Driving CSL is the fundamental belief that all youth deserve access to technology-based programs and the opportunity to enter the workforce in a stronger position which will help America move forward," said Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF.

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