Watts 'hackathon' takes a step toward narrowing the digital divide

As high schooler Geovany Gonzaga typed lines of HTML code on a Mac laptop, a green Web page sprang to life on the screen. “If I could learn more coding I’d get more hooked on it,” said Gonzaga, 16, who was trying his hand during a “hackathon” organized by Teens Exploring Technology, a South Los Angeles (CA) nonprofit that teaches computer science and entrepreneurship skills.

Gonzaga doesn’t have a computer of his own, so he uses school computers during lunch or after classes for homework, rushing to finish. But on July 25, the hackathon provided laptops and the guidance of tech-savvy mentors who had gathered at Nickerson Gardens in Watts, LA’s largest housing project. It followed the model of other hackathons that draw professional and hobbyist computer programmers for hours of nonstop coding and software tinkering. For Teens Exploring Technology, known as TXT, the event was a step toward easing the digital divide in a neighborhood low on technology access compared with more affluent parts of the city.