Coding In Prison and other Inspiring ways Web Dev Changed humanity

Coding in Prison is just one of the non-profit web development programs that are geared towards changing humanity. The internet is such an integral part of our everyday lives. It is inevitable to see that web development has changed and influenced humanity in a way. What is great about web development is that with the right tools and motivation, imparting knowledge about it is easy. Opportunities for people with web development and design knowledge will be vast.

Coding in Prison

Coding in Prison by The Last Mile is a prison rehabilitation program launched way back in 2010. The goal of this program was to provide marketable skills for inmates and help them secure self-sustaining employment after serving their time. This is a program that looks into reducing the tendency of convicted criminals to redo their crimes and go back to prison.

At the time, the internet was still widely developing. Users are just starting to fully appreciate applications on their mobile phones. People are also just learning how to incorporate the internet and mobile applications into their daily lives. This means that opportunities for people with knowledge of web development and design were overwhelming.

This is why it was a good idea to teach web development and design to inmates in state prisons all over the US. What started in San Quentin State Prison back in 2010 is now offering its services to inmates of 16 correctional facilities all over the United States. Giving new chances and new opportunities for people who want to reform their lives.

Teaching the Homeless to Code

With the same concept as Coding in Prison, the goal of Teaching the Homeless to Code is to provide self-sustaining opportunities for people living in the streets. The movement started in 2013 where volunteers would partner with any homeless person within their communities to teach them skills like design and programming.

Girls Who Code

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

This is also a non-profit organization whose goal is to close the gender gap in the technology industry. It is a reality that many industries in the world are still dominated by a certain gender or a certain race. Changes in culture and thinking have pushed towards changing our perspective about these kinds of realities in the workplace. Girls Who Code was established in 2012 and aims to increase the number of women in the computer science industry.

Basically, it is an all-girls school club that teaches robotics, web design, and programming. It provides opportunities for grants and university scholarships for High School girls who want to pursue a career in technology. Since then this group has branched out to various not-for-profit groups like Black Girls Code and Native Girls Code.