Building a Pipeline Coding and App Design Program

In the Spring of 2021, life as we as we knew it just one year prior was a distant memory. Our living rooms became offices. Kitchen tables became classrooms. Skype became Zoom. Among all of these changes, one thing that the pandemic made very clear is that the digital future we had long anticipated is rapidly approaching.

My name is Dakota, and I am the director of a program called Code Academy. Code Academy was launched in 2021 to prepare youth in the Nashville area for this digital future.

We found that the youth of Nashville’s biggest hurdle to digital literacy is not lack of resources or access to technology. They feel that they simply don’t belong in the tech world. They don’t see people that look like them in those careers. They think coding is too difficult. They don’t think they are smart enough, capable enough. So our mission became very simple:

To expose and shift perspectives around computer science.

We realized we didn’t need to transform Nashville into a city of software development prodigies…we just needed to show our youth that the digital future is theirs too. We needed them to believe they can use coding and technology to shape their world just like anyone else.

Since that first Summer of 2021, Code Academy has served over 4,000 Middle Tennessee youth and will surpass 5,000 this year. Year after year, more than 80% surveyed believe they could have a career in tech, & more than 90% believe tech can change their world.

So, how do we do it?

Code Academy is a pipeline program that builds upon previous experience to bolster youth’s confidence in themselves. We begin our youngest members with hands-on learning, such as table-top “coding” and problem solving games, to teach sequencing and algorithmic thinking.

For upper-Elementary and above, we utilize Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum to teach fundamental coding and app design concepts. To teach coding, we primarily use the Swift Playground app because of its fun, gamified approach. To teach app design, we use Keynote due to its intuitive user interface. Once they’ve mastered the basics, we challenge them further with advanced learning modules and app design competitions.

High schoolers who have completed the program have the opportunity to join our college intern development team. This team builds real-world mobile applications and also instructs the coding clubs for the younger learners.

Our college internship program is the backbone of Code Academy. We lean on local computer science students to serve as instructors for our coding clubs, summer camps, and events. This deepens their understanding of computer science concepts while also building leadership strengths and soft skills.

Interns also gain real-world technical experience through our development team by working on apps for the organization. So far, intern developers have published three mobile apps to the App Store and are currently working on a mental health tracking app for our clubs. This app will help identify mental health trends and allow club directors to tailor programming for what members need most. 

Several of our interns, like Eric Fitih, began as a Code Academy participant and later returned to the program to inspire the next generation of tech students.

Eric said, “ As a former student in this program, I once believed that coding was much too complex and out of reach, but the mentorship I received inspired me to pursue a career in technology. Last summer, I returned as an instructor, teaching in the same place that first sparked my passion—a true full-circle moment. This internship strengthened both my technical and leadership skills, and it meant a lot to help students, who were in my position, gain the confidence to pursue technology just like me.”

Computer science is constantly evolving, and Code Academy is always looking forward for ways that we can prepare our youth. 

This summer, we will expand our AI offerings to include education on ethical use and effective prompting techniques. We are also eager to increase app development and internship opportunities for teens. With each passing year, Code Academy grows and adapts to prepare those who need us most for a tech-driven future.