Hack the Hood Summer 2023 Hustle Program Impact Report
Empowering our Learners
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Empowering our Learners 💻
Hustle 2023 Orientation at Block Headquarters in downtown Oakland, California
From June 12, 2023 through August 31, 2023, Hack the Hood delivered its Hustle program to 50 Black, Latinx, AAPI, and Indigenous learners between the ages of 16 and 25. Hustle is a 12-week introduction to coding program created for learners with little to no experience in tech. Woven throughout Hack the Hood programming is a Tech for Justice curriculum that empowers learners to contextualize their learning through a socio-political lens and critically think about how technology can hurt or help communities of color, and how they can make an impact as future technologists. Programs offer a combination of virtual lectures, tiger teams, project based learning, and career exploration opportunities. In addition to tech skill-building programs, Hack the Hood supports learners with a laptop, wifi assistance if needed, a $500 learning stipend, and a community of supporters rooting for their success!
Our Learners at a Glance
Summer 2022 Hustle Program
When talking to my mentor, she was always engaging us in different assignments, even when we were confused or felt helpless. She demonstrated that engaging, trying, learning, and failing, is so much better than silence and not making an effort. I’ve talked to them about moments when I was confused or needed something to be explained again. Their experience and growth in tech motivates me and makes me feel more comfortable in the path I’m taking as someone who is a part of a minority.
-Summer 2023 Hustle Program Learner
The Hustle program is all about creating a supportive learning community, helping students succeed, and empowering them. The technical part of the curriculum teaches fundamental coding skills in Python, including different data types, functions, syntax, and how to handle errors. In addition, Hustle provides vital training for engineering, covering things like agile principles, efficient testing, and introducing key processes and skills for software development.
Learners complete a post-program survey to measure improvement of their technical and communication skills, ability to complete coding assignments and troubleshoot coding problems, understanding of and desire to use technology to better their communities, sense of belonging within the tech sector, and intent to pursue a career in the tech sector.
Hack the Hood visits the office of thredUP in downtown Oakland, California
After completing the Hustle program, 91.4% learners self-reported an increase of their technical skills, their ability to communicate about technology, development, and Python programming skills.
Hack the Hood evaluates learners’ work with a three level rubric: Benchmark for a minimal level of effort, Novice for completed and mostly working code, and Apprentice for complete and well working code applying all of the concepts taught to date. 75% of completed coding assignments from learners exhibited a novice or an apprentice level.
Achieving novice level means that a learner has completed or attempted with some effort the coding assignment, while apprentice level shows that a learner has completed all the requirements of the coding assignment and has gone above and beyond, demonstrating more advanced understanding and skill.
The Tech for Justice curriculum has a positive impact on the Black, Latinx, AAPI, and Indigenous learners that Hack the Hood serves. 97% of learners reported positively that technology can help better their communities, and that they can use data and technology for social good.
Cultivating relationships with peers, mentors and instructors is important for learners to see themselves in tech. Learners rated their feeling of support, sense of community and belonging in Hack the Hood and tech community at 99.2%.
Career exposure panels allow learners to explore the different pathways and career options in the tech sector. 100% of learners indicated that they improved their programming skills in the program and 96% of our learners now see themselves as technologists.
Hustle 2023 Graduation, Block headquarters, downtown Oakland, California
The Hack the Hood team is immensely proud of its summer learners as they hustled to gain and worked hard to build their tech skills!
Thank you to our donors: Alameda County - Oakland Community Action Partnership (AC-OCAP), Capital One, Celigo, Empowering Pathways Giving Circle, Everlaw, Frederic & Sara Kerrest, JD Finish Line Foundation, Life Science Cares, Mangrove Web Development, Morris Stulsaft Foundation, NBA Foundation, Oakland Athletics, Okta, Palo Alto Networks, Paull Foundation Fund, Salesforce, Sentinel One (S Foundation), Square/Block, Tapjoy (Unity), Target Foundation, thredUP, Umpqua Bank, Warriors Community Foundation, West Monroe, and Western Digital. We also thank our corporate partners and volunteers for helping the Hack the Hood team to deliver career development workshops to learners across all of the programs. And a special thank you to resume reviewing volunteers who continue to dedicate their time and support.
