HYDE PARK — A man teaching computer coding and Web design to high school students in Englewood is getting a big boost from the University of Chicago, which selected an offshoot of his program to receive cash, interns, office space and training.
Demond Drummer's Englewood Codes, which started in 2011, is one of four nonprofits programs selected for the University of Chicago's Community Programs Accelerator on Monday.
“It’s time to take it out to schools,” said Drummer, who started Englewood Codes and plans to launch CoderSpace with the U. of C.'s help. “But there needs to be a dedicated entity to do this.”
Drummer was helping 25 high school kids in Englewood learn Web design and coding after school, but wanted to grow to a full-time operation and build up a curriculum that would work for other schools, a pitch he made to the U. of C.'s Accelerator program in May.
“I think the best way to keep Chicago relevant is build up a solid base of tech talent,” Drummer said.
The university agreed, and Drummer's is one of three organizations to get up to $50,000 to get the program going with the brainpower of U. of C. faculty vetting his ideas.
The other nonprofits include the Dovetail Project, which teaches life skills to young black fathers, and Polished Pebbles, a mentoring program for teen girls. All three will get free office space for up to three years, student interns and access to workshops and training.
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival also was selected but won’t receive additional funding.
Drummer said the money was great, but he was more interested in meeting the people who could help him turn the part-time class for 25 students into a self-sustaining organization working with 50-plus kids year-round in its own space.
“It’s more about the relationships and the networking that the university connects us to, that’s what I’m excited about,” Drummer said.
The program was launched in May by the university to help a handful of organizations each year on the South Side get their ducks in a row in preparation for expansion.
After more than 50 organizations applied, the university added a second level for seven groups to get student interns and planning help, but no money or office space. The group includes Artifice, Chicago Hyde Park Village, Featherfist, KLEO, Quad Cities Development Corporation, WECAN, and the Woodlawn Broadband Expansion Project.
“The high level of interest in the Accelerator underscored the need community-based organizations have for expanded capacity and resources,” said Shaz Rasul, director of community programs at the university. “The Associates program helps meet that need while also providing valuable field experience for University of Chicago students interested in community work.”
Several of the training classes will be open to any nonprofit, starting with a Nov. 15 grant-writing workshop.
The university will start looking for its next group of nonprofits for the Accelerator in next summer.
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