Start a Chapter
Join the movement by bringing a chapter to your community.
Steel City Codes Chapters are weekly one-hour long sessions held at elementary and middle schools where high school volunteers teach younger students CS.
Interested? We’ll help you every step of the way.
Steel City Codes will provide you with all the resources and guidance to make starting a chapter as seamless as possible, including:
Curriculums
You’ll have access to our curriculums, practice problems, and project templates, all specifically designed for working with young students!
Resources
Email templates, Google Forms, and more—if you need it, we have it! We’ll provide you with everything you need to help you start your chapter and get it running!
Guidance
We’ll be able to walk you through all the steps of starting a chapter, and help you with any unexpected issues along the way.
Requirements & Responsibilities
Steel City Codes has only one requirement: chapters must be started by a high school student(s) (grades 9-12) at an elementary or middle school in their area. Past experience in computer science can vary, but basic experience in Java or Python is expected.
After getting a chapter started (see process below), chapter heads will be responsible for routinely coordinating volunteers, communicating with parents, and creating lesson plans. Chapter heads can expect around a 2-4 hour/week time commitment.
The Starting a Chapter Process
Starting a chapter is super easy 3-step process!
Step 1: Find a Location
Steel City Codes’ in-person chapters require venues to host your students (of course, this is different for virtual chapters)! Contact local schools, libraries, or community centers to see if they would be willing to host your chapter.
Step 2: Recruit volunteers
Reach out to other students at surrounding high schools to find volunteers for your chapter! Make sure to reach out to the number of volunteers needed to satisfy our requirement for a 4:1 student:volunteer ratio.
Step 3: Promote to students
Finally, promote and publicize your opportunity to parents and students! Spread the word out as much as possible, and then hold your first chapter meeting!