December 14th, 2014

We just learned that the good folks at Backblaze will match the next $5,000 in donations before the end of the year!  That means your donation will go twice as far to help young people like José.

DONATE TODAY!

José is an Oakland high school student interested in technology who has had some life-changing experiences thanks to his work with Hack the Hood. 

In his first moments attending our Boot Camp, José appeared timid. We wondered if what seemed like a lack of confidence would make our client-focused program too difficult?

But both the staff and the other young people in the program supported him. He opened up and his team built new skills together.  Soon, he was meeting real clients and building beautiful websites for small business owners. They kept coming back for more, even after the summer program ended. José has now built more than 10 websites for small business clients in his community, and is still going!  

But he's not stopping there.   José and his new friends started working on optional projects and asked their mentors for more training.  They heard about a contest called the Loft Video Game Innovation Fellowship and worked with our staff to enter a prototype of a video game about young people dealing with loss and grief.  Their submission won a top spot, and José went to Washington, DC to receive an award and present their game to a panel of US Senators at a congressional hearing. Now, thanks to our partnership with the Impact Youth Hub, this team of Hack the Hood graduates are banding together to create their own business!

We need your support to expand our program to reach more young people like José.  And now it's doubly important. 
Please click here to donate!
Over the next two weeks, Backblaze will match all contributions, up to $5,000!
 Picture
Sincerely, 
Susan Mernit
Hack the Hood Co-Founder and CEO
p.s.  We just need 25 donors to reach 100 new donors since December 1.  Please feel free to share with others who support a new vision for tech and new opportunities for youth.