Bridging Cultural Gaps’ Hidden Genius program, which has introduced traditionally marginalized students of color to the fast-growing field of technology since 2018, is about more than learning applicable skills like coding—it’s about belonging, connection, and possibility.
Abdi Haro, program manager at Bridging Cultural Gaps, recognized the potential of offering this programming to Afghan refugee students in his community, but he simply didn’t have the capacity to do so effectively. That changed in 2023 when Abdi learned about a federal grant opportunity provided through Washington Department of Social and Health Services’ Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, which was administered by SOWA’s Refugee School Impact Program team.
With this Afghan Refugee School Impact funding, Abdi introduced the Afghan youth coding class, an incredible six-week cohort expansion of the Hidden Genius program that provides culturally responsive opportunities for Afghan refugee students to learn and use code, research a topic of their choice, present to the class, and collaborate with peers. Funding also allows the program to provide each student with a laptop.
“This program is about more than programming,” Abdi said. “It’s really to allow students to broaden their worldview [and] get access to different fields and topics . . . it goes back to just knowing the possibilities.”
Recognizing the importance of having role models that students can relate to, Abdi was intentional about recruiting instructors who share the refugee experience and speak Dari and Pashto, the students’ native languages. In the course’s first year, Abdi noticed a significant improvement not only in students’ ability to code and work with technology, but also in their confidence and English fluency.
“Our Afghan youth coding class has embarked on a journey that will shape their lives and leave an indelible mark on the world around them,” Abdi wrote in an article for Medium.com. “It is a journey that combines technical skills with the profound power of human connection.”
You can learn more about Hidden Genius and browse some of the final projects from the Afghan youth coding class on the Bridging Cultural Gaps website.
This story was originally posted in our 2023 Annual Report.
Read the full report here.