My Brother's Keeper Coding Makerspace On Computing and Cybersecurity Education

My Brother’s Keeper Coding Makerspace for Historically Underrepresented Young Men of Color: Motivating Students to Develop Skills and Knowledge of Computer Science and to Develop an Interest in Cybersecurity Careers

The "My Brother's Keeper Coding Makerspace" provides hand-on digital making projects related to IoT security and support for Black and Hispanic young men to learn Python programming (the computer language needed for cybersecurity jobs), IT fundamentals, cybersecurity, and physical computing. Young men of color have benefited from increased interest in cybersecurity opportunities in high school, higher education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

The students use Python (a very useful programming language in cybersecurity) in MAKING Internet of Things (home automation) devices that integrate cybersecurity knowledge and skills.  The MBK Coding Makerspace instructors challenge student teams to use Python programming of sensors on the Raspberry Pi microcontroller to create digital maker projects.  The student teams identify the problems they want to solve at home, school, or in their community in order to connect their lived experiences and cultures.  To develop sociopolitical consciousness through the curriculum, the students apply their learning of Python coding to solving problems for the benefit of individuals and social groups in their lives, within social, economic, and technological realms.  Developing sociopolitical consciousness increases the students’ attitude towards computing thereby leading to greater intentions to persist in computing after the MBK Coding Makerspace. The course curriculum provides lessons and strategies that are equitable and culturally relevant for the African-American and Hispanic young men.

The MBK Coding Makerspace has great potential to advance knowledge on ways to achieve the goal of broadening participation for students historically under-represented in computer science and cybersecurity education and careers. The MBK Coding Makerspace provides boys of color with support to be creators, not just consumers, of computing and cybersecurity innovations that will contribute to society.  In addition, the MBK Coding Makerspace addresses the increasing need for underrepresented students of color to prepare for the expected growth of cybersecurity jobs that protect the country's national security. 

We are seeking funding support and role models/mentors to replicate this program for Black & Hispanic male & female youth. Please contact us to provide support for this effort. Thanks.

These research and evaluation findings from the MBK Coding Makerspace were presented on June 13-14, 2019 at the National Science Foundation ITEST PI & Evaluator Summit 2019 in Alexandria, Virginia.