Code 313 STEM Academy helps kids bridge tech divide

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The wheels are already turning for Reddick Grant as he visits Code 313 inside Detroit's new STEM Academy Headquarters.

"I want to work at NASA," said Grant. "And start my own robotics center."

The non-profit organization provides hands on educational training using cutting edge technology.

"I'm really having fun, the thing I most like is virtual reality," Grant said. "I really want to travel around the world and virtual reality is kind of like how I can do it."

Sadly, Detroit is America's least connected city with 27 percent of residents without internet access and 19 percent of households relying on their cell phones to get online.

Code 313 Executive Director Bartel Welch says Code 313 helps bridge the digital divide by hosting workshops on coding, web design, cyber security, robotics and drones.

"I love when the kids come in, their eyes are super-bright and wide open," Welch said. "They love it; it is stuff some have never seen before or never have been able to take part in. When they come in, they are super excited."

Just like sixth grader Jaylah Fowler. She used her new training to make a lie detector test.

"I like (that) I get to express my creativity with my lie detector tests, explain how it works, how I made it, and put coding into it," Fowler said.

The partnership with Code 313 and Junior Achievement is not only inspiring students - it is providing them the skills they need to pursue careers in computer science - and advanced technology that will help them take that next step.

"The world has changed and tech has become an extremely important part of everyday life," said Welch. "So learning technology especially at young age expand careers now and set career paths at early age."