Here at MakerBridge we make an effort to advocate for diversity and inclusion in the maker culture and the technology industry. Some of our previous posts have covered Black Makers, LGBTQ+ inclusivity in maker culture, women in technology, and STEAM education for girls and young people of color.
Since our last post highlighting diverse groups in the maker movement and hacker culture, I have come across several more organizations that are devoted to increasing minority engagement and employment in the tech industry that we have not yet covered.
TransTechSocial(http://transtechsocial.org/) is an organization that works to educate trans and gender nonconforming people with technology skill training, professional apprenticeships, and navigating the higher ed financial aid system. They work to empower trans and gender nonconforming people by providing leadership training and supporting racial and social justice causes. TransTechSocial also works to employ trans and gender nonconforming people by providing resume and interview training, networking, and education on employee rights.
CodeNow (http://codenow.org/) works to diversify the technology industry by engaging young women and people of color in computer science and technology educational opportunities. Their main program centers on providing workshops that teach computer programming to underrepresented high school students.
Maven (http://mymaven.org/) also fosters the diversification of the technology industry by providing LGBTQ youth with opportunity to build technical skills, engage with social justice causes, and encourage networking between LGBTQ youth, youth services/nonprofits, and other groups of young LGBTQ youth across the nation. Maven provides a safe (virtual and physical!) space for LGBTQ teens to investigate their identity and to build confidence via practical technology skills, experience, and mentorship.
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Image Credit: “suessian megaphone” by Flickr user Michael
