New Ferguson-based organization, Hands Up United, hit GoFundMe last week to raise funds for a new program called Ferguson First Youth Tech Program, which is aiming to help the city’s youth with technological projects.
According to the campaign’s description, Hands Up United is a youth led movement that started in Ferguson after the shooting of Mike Brown by Ferguson Police Officer, Darren Wilson. The action that sparked a movement on the grounds of cities across the nation is once again sparking a movement, but on the digital front.
The program will consist of a six-week web development that will teach participants, ages 18-30 years of age HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Web Hosting, Mobile App design, UX, entrepreneurship, and consulting. Those who participate will receive a $600 stipend for their time in the worship, as well as a personal Macbook Air laptop that will allow them to freelance their new skills. Participants will also be assigned to build a local business’ digital presence.
Sharing the objectives of the program, the campaign’s organizer, Abby Bobe, wrote, “The goal of training participants web development is to build out local businesses and movements. Classes will take place in the winter, spring and summer.”
If successful, future workshops will be:
Graphic Design: A five-day web designing workshop will consist of building wireframes, understanding the fundamental of graphic design, fonts, colors and more. Guest speakers will include political artist using art and graphic design to spread messages of empowerment. Classes will take place in the winter and summer.- Quality Assurance and Testing: Participates will review languages like Java and Python, review user requirements and go over testing to ensure software quality meets the user requirements. Classes will take place in the spring and summer.
Hands Up United is currently striving to create a world where everyone deals with harm in communities through healing, love, and kinship. This means an end to state sponsored violence, including the excessive use of force by law enforcement. It is committed to an America that comes to terms with the trauma of its painful history and finds true reconciliation for it. Mass incarceration and the criminalization of black and brown people must forever end, leaving in its place a culture that embraces our histories and stories. This means an end to racial bias and white supremacy in all its forms.
Bobe recently moved to Ferguson to volunteer with Hands Up United, work with local youth activist and build out the organization’s technical program. Her past includes organizing programs to teach 3,000 young girls of color computer programming and serving as Qeyno Lab’s Community Director. She is notably passionate about community activism on the ground as well as the cloud.
All extra funds raised will go into building out other technology programs under the Tech Impact umbrella.
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