JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The City of Jacksonville unveiled a new coding initiative Monday morning, aimed at creating opportunities for young people looking to break into the industry.
The "Jax Code 4 Change" initiative offers students ages 16 to 21 specialized training in software development, data analytics and AI. Students work under the guidance of the City of Jacksonville's Technology Solutions Department and Scratchwerk Tech.
During a press conference Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called the program "a gateway to possibilities" for young people.
"It's not merely about teaching kids how to code, it's about fostering resilience, sparking curiosity and building confidence," Deegan said. "It's about showing them that their potential is limitless and their voices and ideas matter in the ever-evolving digital landscape."
Twenty-two coding students completed the program and successfully created an internal dashboard, called the Service Desk Dashboard, that the city's staff will utilize. The tool offers a real-time view of city issues, including detailed pages for service requests to help streamline specific ticket categories.
The program was built on the success of the 100 Black Men of Jacksonville "Coding in Color" program funded by the Kids Hope Alliance and the MyVillage Project.
"We had about 45 students that were very interested in learning computer science, but did not quite know how to get started," said Ronnie King, founder of the MyVillage Project.
He continued, "When I was a young student coming out of high school, did not see a lot of people that look like myself in the field, so we wanted to make sure that we created a platform in an environment for students to truly thrive."
For a look at the new dashboard, click here.