CS Ambassadors

The CS Ambassadors program aims to expand access to and foster the long-term sustainability of CS instruction for low-resource afterschool programs in Atlanta, Georgia. In partnership with the Afterschool Alliance, we train and compensate afterschool staff members, regardless of their educational background, to provide consistent CS instruction in their afterschool programs throughout the school year.

Funding for this work is provided by Georgia Tech’s School of Interactive Computing and organizations like the Atlanta Global Studies Center.

FAQs

  • Which afterschool programs are a fit for CS Ambassadors? We target afterschool programs located in low-income neighborhoods that have limited access to CS instruction and have an adult who is willing to teach CS to students in their communities.

  • Do you pay CS Ambassadors to teach? Yes, we compensate CS Ambassadors for all the time they spend teaching and receiving training.

  • How can I become a CS Ambassador? Please contact us if your afterschool program is in a low-income neighborhood without access to CS instruction and you are willing to learn and teach CS to your students.

  • What if my program does not have technology e.g., computers to teach CS? Contact us anyway! We will provide computing devices if needed to ensure equitable access to CS instruction.

  • How much training is required to become a CS Ambassador? The initial training session takes about 10 hours and can be done virtually. Subsequent training sessions take place about once a semester and take an estimated 5-10 hours.

  • How many hours of teaching are required from CS Ambassadors? We recommend that CS Ambassadors teach for 1-2 hour-long sessions per week. They receive compensation based on the number of sessions they teach.

  • What if a CS Ambassador no longer has the time to teach or leaves their after-school program? They remain CS Ambassadors but will not be compensated unless they teach. To foster program continuity, we work with them to find another staff member to continue instruction in their afterschool programs.