Full disclosure: Technical.ly is funded by and also supports the PHL: Most Diverse Tech Hub program. That relationship is not relevant to this report.
Dozens of Philadelphians from various backgrounds and goals have come together virtually and in-person twice a week for the past several months with the same goal of learning about artificial intelligence and gamification and advancing their careers. Continuing.
When I entered Germantown coworking and event space P4 Hub last Tuesday, I was immediately greeted by founder Sulaiman Rahman. He excitedly showed me how more than 50 people had logged on to his GameChangers Accelerator class that night. Another 10 of his people were sitting across six tables, using laptops to learn his IRL. Instructors stood behind a podium at the front of the room and gave presentations on UX and user flow that were projected onto a screen.
The TV screen behind me also showed all the Zoom participants following suit. Rahman later explained that P4 Hub’s technology systems are set up to ensure both virtual and in-person attendees have a good experience. In the spirit of hybrid learning, in-person participants were given microphones to ask questions, and virtual participants’ voices were heard through the room’s sound system.
During recess in the middle of class, people sitting near me told me that even though they don’t always come in person, they felt it was a good opportunity to interact with their classmates.
GameChangers Accelerator is a free program that teaches Black and Brown people in Philadelphia about artificial intelligence and game design. This is the first cohort of the program, and the participant has just completed his 18th week of a total of 24 weeks. Tuesday sessions focus on theory-based concepts, and Saturday sessions are hands-on labs that build on what students have learned in class. The curriculum includes AI and gamification, project management, marketing, UI/UX design, and no-code programming.
āThe ultimate goal is to understand how people can use AI to create gamified applications without coding and bring AI into their daily lives.We also want to scale our achievements by, for example, Itās about being able to understand how to incorporate AI into more technical pursuits as well,ā said Vince Quarles. GameChangers Accelerator lead instructor and CEO of DVNC told his Technical.ly.
This reporter spoke with five participants about what they’re learning and what they hope to get out of the accelerator.
Build apps that support your community
Shaquana Watson Harkness is a money confidence coach who came up with the idea for an app to help Black professional women save money more consistently and reach their savings goals.
Watson-Harkness used ChatGPT before joining the program, and now she has a better understanding of the tool and is able to apply it to her own apps.
āWe want to create a minimally working app that we can test with the community and ultimately extend by having others use it,ā she said. “but [it] We also influence and empower women of color to save more money. Because we make a lot of money, but we don’t have the financial literacy education on how to do it. ā
Stay ahead of the professional era
Ashley Coby works in sales and marketing and is proactive about how she can make her career more stable and increase her marketability through her technology skills. He sees how AI tools like ChatGPT can eliminate roles.
āI just want to go beyond that,ā Kobe said. “[Iād] Rather, you should become the person responsible for implementing AI within your department. I don’t want to be a victim, I want to be part of the direction we’re going. ā
professional development
Lucres Irizarry joined the program because he wanted to learn more about AI and app development. She works in business operations consulting and has taken many coaching programs and professional development courses over the years, but she says this has been the most helpful in developing her skills. Ta.
āI want to develop an app to help leaders better manage stress and practice mental health and wellness,ā Irizarry said. āSo that’s my biggest goal, and I’m definitely going to use the information I learn in this program to accomplish that.ā
Apply the program to daily work
Quishaun Murden works with students in an after-school program and notices that many of them are interested in app development and game design. He decided to take this class to learn how to build apps and educate himself about what his students are interested in.
Marden said he is grateful for all the different tools and sources the program has shared so far to assist participants in the project management process. He hopes the knowledge gained from the accelerator will help communicate results and other information in his day-to-day work.
Empowering entrepreneurs with technology skills
Charise N. Wilson enrolled in the program because she wanted to learn more about how AI and gamification could be applied to her business, Divas Cleaning Services.
Before taking this class, Wilson believed that app development required a coding background and technical education. She said she was surprised to learn how many apps were built without coding.
After completing the program, Wilson hopes to help other entrepreneurs in her industry and share what she learned.
āSince I am no longer in the service industry, such as labor, I am planning to shift my focus to digital content, but I would like to help other small businesses do the same thing as me. For example, For example, if you want to pivot and create something digital,ā Wilson said.
Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2023 corps member of Report for America, an initiative of the Ground Truth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Journalism Institute.
Series: Resilient Tech Careers Month 2023 / PHL: The Most Diverse Tech Hub
subscribe
Knowledge is power!
Subscribe for free today and get the news and tips you need to grow your career and connect with our vibrant tech community.
technically media