As Canadian classrooms buzz back to life this September, a quiet revolution in STEM education marks an important milestone. Black Boys Code, a grassroots organization that began with just a handful of students in Vancouver, celebrates its tenth anniversary this month with remarkable growth across the country.
“We started with 12 kids in a community center basement,” recalls Bryan Johnson, the organization’s founder. “Now we’re reaching over 3,000 young Black Canadians annually across eight provinces. It’s humbling to see how far we’ve come.”
The organization’s journey reflects a larger story about representation gaps in Canada’s tech sector. Statistics Canada data shows Black Canadians remain significantly underrepresented in STEM fields, making up less than 2.6% of tech workers despite comprising 3.5% of Canada’s population.
What makes Black Boys Code unique is its approach to tackling this disparity. Their weekend coding workshops aren’t just about teaching Python or JavaScript – they’re creating community spaces where Black youth can see themselves represented in tech careers.
“My son came home from his first workshop absolutely electrified,” says Torontonian Marcia Williams, whose 14-year-old son Jamal has been attending programs for three years. “Seeing Black instructors who look like him, working in tech companies, completely changed his perspective on what’s possible.”
The organization’s impact extends beyond coding skills. A recent University of British Columbia study following Black Boys Code participants found that 78% reported increased confidence in STEM subjects at school, with 65% expressing interest in pursuing tech-related post-secondary education – significantly higher than baseline measurements for comparable demographics.
The anniversary coincides with a surge of corporate support. Major tech firms including Shopify, Microsoft Canada, and Toronto-based innovation hub MaRS have announced expanded partnerships with the organization, providing both funding and volunteer instructors from their engineering teams.
“These young people represent a tremendous pool of untapped potential,” explains Shopify’s Director of Community Engagement, Samantha Chen. “Our industry needs diverse perspectives to build technology that works for everyone. Supporting Black Boys Code isn’t charity – it’s an investment in the future of Canadian innovation.”
The organization’s expansion hasn’t been without challenges. Johnson notes the persistent barriers facing Black youth in STEM education, from systemic biases in schools to limited access to technology at home.
“We’ve made progress, but there’s still so much work to do,” Johnson says. “The pandemic widened digital divides across racial and economic lines. Many families we work with struggled with basics like reliable internet access for remote learning.”
Indeed, a 2022 report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that Black households were nearly three times more likely to lack adequate home internet connectivity during pandemic lockdowns compared to the national average.
Black Boys Code responded by distributing over 500 refurbished laptops to participants’ families and creating offline learning modules that students could use without constant connectivity.
The anniversary celebrations kicked off this weekend with coding jams in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax. Industry professionals and program alumni returned to mentor current participants in building apps addressing community challenges.
Seventeen-year-old Desmond Clarke, who joined the program’s first cohort at age seven, demonstrated the app he’s developing to help newcomer families navigate Canadian government services.
“Before Black Boys Code, I had never even met a software developer who looked like me,” Clarke said. “Now I’m heading to Waterloo for computer science next year, and I’ve already had two summer internships. This program changed everything for me.”
Federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne attended the Toronto event, announcing $3.5 million in new funding to support the organization’s expansion to five additional cities over the next three years.
“Building a truly inclusive innovation economy means ensuring all young Canadians have pathways into the tech sector,” Champagne said. “Black Boys Code’s decade of success demonstrates how community-led initiatives can transform individual lives while strengthening our national talent pipeline.”
Educational experts point to the organization’s model as particularly effective because it combines technical skills with cultural relevance and mentorship.
“What they’ve built goes beyond coding classes,” explains Dr. Althea Jackson, an education researcher at Ryerson University who has studied the program. “They’ve created spaces where Black youth feel their identities affirmed while developing critical future skills. That combination is powerful.”
As the organization looks ahead to its next decade, Johnson envisions expanding beyond coding to include other STEM disciplines like robotics, artificial intelligence ethics, and biotechnology.
“The jobs of tomorrow will require interdisciplinary thinking,” he says. “We need to prepare these young people not just to participate in the tech economy, but to lead it and reshape it.”
For students like 12-year-old Marcus Thompson from Halifax, that future feels increasingly within reach.
“I used to think tech jobs weren’t for people like me,” he says, demonstrating a game he coded during a recent workshop. “Now I know I can build anything. I just needed someone to show me how to start.”
As Black Boys Code enters its second decade, the organization’s impact extends beyond individual success stories. It stands as a testament to how grassroots initiatives can address systemic gaps in Canada’s education system while building a more inclusive innovation economy – one line of code at a time.
