The Code To Grow Foundation

Our Story

Jack Segil has been hooked on coding ever since his parents enrolled him in his first coding camp at PlanetBravo when he was in 4th grade. As a ninth grader, Jack perceived that his coding world was dominated by white males from affluent communities. Coding had become Jack’s passion so why shouldn’t everyone have an equal opportunity to make it their passion too? Jack believes that no potential should be compromised because of inaccessible resources and aspires to make coding education free and inclusive. With the help of family and friends, Jack Segil established the Code to Grow Foundation and asked PlanetBravo to partner with them in providing opportunities to students in underserved communities and school districts for engagement, education, fun, and a future in computer science.

How Our Program Works

Every summer we offer children between the ages of 8-14 the opportunity to attend two weeks of coding camp at Planet Bravo. Furthermore, children who are accepted to the program and attend coding camp are also offered an opportunity to be mentored throughout the school year and enroll in our self-guided coding curriculum that teaches them the basics of coding Python. We provide them with the curriculum and mentoring to help them as they work through the online course throughout the school year.
Our goals are to spark an interest in coding by attending summer coding camp, and then build on that interest turning it into a passion as kids lean into our self-guided coding curriculum and learn to code on their own. We provide mentorship throughout the curriculum, but the real goal of the program is to teach kids how to think like a coder and learn to solve problems and overcome obstacles on their own. Current students are invited to re-apply every summer to attend camp as part of the next summer's cohort and once students graduate they can apply to come back as mentors and counselors themselves, so they can teach others.
We're now accepting applications for our 2025 cohort - click here to apply
If you'd like to volunteer to help teach the curriculum and learn more about what that entails, click here.

Our Goals

Accessibility

Increase access to coding education to students ages 8-14 who have, or may have, an interest in computer science and STEM but who have been unable to take advantage of coding opportunities for financial reasons or who are unaware of such opportunities.

Empowerment

Empower underrepresented youth to create a passion for computer science by creating equitable access to the 21st century skill of coding through Code to Grow’s program.

Opportunity

Create volunteer opportunities through mentorship of youth enrolled in Code Grow’s coding programs and ultimately create a collective community from various backgrounds who will educate and learn from each other.

Collaboration

Collaborate with coding and STEM foundations, volunteers and educators to strengthen social responsibility and global citizenship.