Why Should You Join?

Are you a high school student interested in computer science? Want to advocate for computer science education with other Bay Area students? Want to meet student leaders and experts in industry? Interested in planning events in your community? We are currently recruiting members and officers, and we want YOU to join! Read more about our mission and us:

Our Mission
  • • About 61% of high school students have no access to any computer science classes in their high schools
  • • Low-income students, students of color, girls, and students who live in rural areas are much less likely to have access to CS courses than their peers. Even when courses are available, too few students are enrolled in these critical courses--just 3% of the 1.9 million high school students in California. Read more about this here.
  • • Many students have the misconception that they have to be “smart enough” to do computer science. Computer science is not about “being smart”!
  • • Even in the Bay Area, one of the most technology-advanced areas in the world, there are many students who lack the access to devices that can help them to learn how to code.

What We Envision
  • • Coding, and the thinking process that comes with it, is incredibly powerful. Coding itself is a way of thinking about a problem, of searching for a solution systematically. Coding can do many things -- everything is based on coding when digital!
  • • We believe that people need to be able to access such problem-thinking skills and the power that lies within coding. Thus, we want to provide an introduction and access to computer science for everyone -- we want to expose people with the opportunity to learn about CS and to utilize this powerful tool of coding/problem solving, which is what exactly we are doing with BAYCSC.

Our Organization
  • • We are a group of young, collaborative, open-minded individuals. We participate in leadership, organizing, teaching, fundraising, marketing, etc.
  • • For each hour of meeting, you get volunteer hours.
  • • We are an organization that’s very open to change, trials and errors. So if you are unsure whether you would like or can do something, it’s totally fine! You can always do something that you are unfamiliar or familiar with, and something else new.
  • • For anyone who wants to participate in the computer science aspect of our organization, in the process of teaching people computer science, you also sement your understanding in computer science.
  • • From our member Jessica: “You do not just learn skills. Here, you practice them in a welcoming environment and in collaboration with like-minded people. I really kept growing and learning new things (like leading a meeting, planning an event, etc.) because of BAYCSC.”
  • • From our member Katelyn: “this organization is a close-knit community where you will meet people who also want to achieve this goal. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and do community service.”

What We Expect
  • • Our required commitment is very low and relaxed, although many of our passionate members always exceed the expectation and go above and beyond to allow the organization to achieve more. There are no set positions, and we are very, very open to changing anything so that members can better come to meetings.
  • • We meet entirely virtually.
  • • We have a basic 1 hour weekly meeting via Zoom 7:30PM - 8:30PM (PST) on each Sunday and a check-in session for about 30 minutes on Wednesdays 7:30-8:00(PST), with exceptions during the AP week. However, accommodations can always be made.
  • • We really appreciate it if you can turn on your video for the meetings! Because we meet entirely virtually, video really allows us to know that we’re talking to real people 😊

Attendance
  • • To excuse your absence in a meeting, please notify us of the absence 24 hours before.
  • • One excused meeting per month -- but it’s only because we have had members who would excuse every meeting previously, so if you consistently come, you’re fine.
  • • One FREEBIE meeting (don’t have to notify 24 hours before) each quarter of the year.
  • • If absent, members/officers should be able to do work outside of meeting hours
  • • Officers' expected work per week: 1 - 1.5 hr
  • • Members' expected work hour: 10 mins - 1 hr