ScriptEd Hosts the Hour of Code: NYC Students Join Ten Million Nationwide in Initiative to Demystify Computer Science

Online, November 12, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Over 100 New York City students are getting ready to join 10 million students nationwide participating in the Hour of Code.

The Hour of Code is a celebration geared to encourage interest in the Computer Science field and to show that anyone can learn the basics. ScriptEd is partnering with Code.org and Mozilla Hive NYC to host the NYC event, which will take place on Wednesday, December 11 from 4:30pm - 6:00pm at Harlem Village Academies High School at 35 West 124th Street, New York, NY.

At this event, more than a hundred students will work with ScriptEd volunteers to try out computer programming for an hour. Some students will be learning to code for the first time, while others have been enrolled in classes for months with ScriptEd.

ScriptEd is a nonprofit that works to increase access to careers in technology by offering computer-programming classes in low-income high schools. Over the summer, ScriptEd students are linked with paid internships where they gain professional experience in coding.

ScriptEd alumni Earl Clifton, now a college freshman, said that "learning to code helped me know how to overcome difficulties. Knowing how to code means that I can make a difference in my world in a way I never thought possible."

"Our students have the creativity and potential to be drivers of innovation, but they don't always have the resources and mentorship necessary to pursue a technology career," said ScriptEd Executive Director Maurya Couvares. "We hope that our Hour of Code event will help to build the movement to improve computer science education in schools."

Computer science and software engineering is a rapidly growing field. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020, there will be 9.2 million jobs in STEM fields. Half of those jobs—4.6 million—will be in computing or information technology.

"The jobs are there," said ScriptEd Education Manager Becca Novak, "and we want to ensure that our students get those jobs. We can do that by teaching them to code now."

The Hour of Code is organized by Code.org, and supported by Mozilla Hive NYC, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and over 100 other partners. Organizations or individuals wanting to host their own event can go to hourofcode.org to get involved.

ScriptEd is a NYC-based start up nonprofit that immerses low-income students in the technology industry through rigorous web development courses at their schools, engaging field trips to prominent technology firms, and intensive full-time summer internships with industry partners. For more information, visit http://www.ScriptEd.org