April 2014, twenty-eight chattering first and second refugee kids and their family members entered the local church for the first official meeting of Pursuit of Innovation 515. No computers, no resources, and only a few volunteers.

Fast forward eight months and Pursuit of Innovation now has its own lab of donated computers. The kids have progressed from little computer knowledge outside of social media to coding in various languages. Pi515 has retained kids and grown a base of younger students applying for next year. The 9th through 12th grade afterschool program has facilitated individual college visits, improved grades, and received national attention.

WHAT WE DO:

At Pi 515, we are using coding to change life perspectives of refugee families and exposing kids from 7th to 12th grade to coding, by providing an after school class twice a month, Saturday 9-12. We teach them how to write code, and support them as they write computer code for an app or website that will help address community needs. In addition to supporting these students to make a difference in the community, we provide mentoring relationships, career and college explorations. We also provide transportation and food. We encourage parental involvement by educating parents.