We’re excited to announce that we are partnering with the Roy Clay Sr. Web Development and Entrepreneurship Workshop, a Hands Up United initiative, for our Hackathon during WordCamp St. Louis’ Community Day on March 15th.

Students learning HTML, CSS, and WordPress at T-REX

The 6-week workshop (named for North St. Louis County native and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Roy Clay) consists of teaching Ferguson/St. Louis youth HTML, CSS, JavaScript, UX, entrepreneurship, and small business management with the goal of participants learning the complete set of web development skills needed to help build sites for others in their community. Funds raised using the group’s GoFundMe campaign provide participants that complete the program with a $500 stipend and a personal laptop to continue using the skills they learned.

To develop these skills, participants have been meeting for 12 hours per week since early February doing everything from creating static HTML pages to creating wireframes using client requirements to customizing WordPress themes.

All of their hard work will culminate on March 15th when we have a full day scheduled for working with the participants, local small businesses, and community organizations they’ve been working with to finish and launch their WordPress sites. We’re hoping you’ll join us to help put some of the finishing touches on their sites as well as showing these young, new WordPressers that they are part of a huge community of volunteers worldwide.