In a joint effort to introduce a unique addition to the Bay Area's K-12 STEM education landscape, 49ers EDU and innovative coding college 42 Silicon Valley announced on Friday a partnership to create a robust high school summer coding camp. As the first-of-its-kind, project-based learning data science camp, students aged 14-18 will program in R – the system for statistical analyses and graphics – using football as a platform for a series of computer science-focused challenges.
As part of the partnership, campers will also visit Levi's® Stadium and engage with the 49ers EDU award-winning programming, which teaches science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) learning concepts leveraging the lens of football.
"We are proud to partner with the 49ers to provide high school students this great opportunity to develop valuable skills for the 21st century and start building their digital skillset," said 42 Co-founder and Managing Director, Kwame Yamgnane. "It's important for students who love sports to have a vision for careers in technology and sports. Football and coding make for a great combination for learning data science and gaining a vision for their future."
The camp, geared towards both experienced and beginner coders in high school, will be primarily hosted at 42's Silicon Valley campus in Fremont, Calif., which boasts 1,024 computers and a cafeteria on site. Campers will interact with 49ers EDU staff and educators alongside 42's team, and will also enjoy the support of peers and mentors while they learn and develop their skills.
"When we first came to know 42, we fell in love with their approach to engaging young people in computer science and coding," said Jesse Lovejoy, Director of 49ers EDU and Managing Partner of EDU Academy. "We've wanted to do something together, and this camp will bring together the best of what 42 has to offer and marry it with the innovative nature of how we look at education here at the 49ers, and the ways football can be articulated through things like coding."
Enrollment is open for the two-week camp happening August 13 - 24. Drop off will be between 8:00 - 10:00 AM PT and pick up between 3:00 - 5:00 PM PT. Lunch and away-from-screen activities will be scheduled at noon.
For more information or to register, please visit https://www.42.us.org/49ers.
