Dear C4Q friends and family,

Our work is rooted in the belief that a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences is fundamental to the growth of a healthy and vibrant tech ecosystem in Queens and NYC. In 2014 we continued our work towards our goal of fostering the most inclusive and innovative tech community.

This past year, we shared in the successes of our Access Code 1.0 graduates. From winning hackathons to working at leading tech companies to being accepted into one of the most prestigious accelerators in the U.S., our students represent the immense potential and talent within our community. Inspired by their stories, we decided to expand the scope of our tech training program to serve the 64% of New Yorkers without college degrees and to further reach populations that are underserved in tech. As the dialogue surrounding the need for more opportunity in the tech sector continues to build, we are tackling this challenge head on, forging new pathways through our programs and working to increase opportunity for all New Yorkers.

C4Q is entering its fourth year as an organization, and we’re eager to continue learning and improving in 2015. Thank you to our amazing community of donors and sponsors who support our mission and make our work possible. And much love to our dedicated and passionate volunteers who not only multiply our impact but magnify our cause.

Jukay, Dave & the C4Q Team

Hackers of All Ages

We hosted the Queens Build Day for BigApps, a city-wide tech competition that empowers the sharpest minds in tech, design, and business to solve NYC's toughest challenges. Over 150 people from all over NYC came to C4Q HQ in order to build their products and take part in the first ever hackathon in Queens.

New York's Next Top Makers, organized by NYCEDC, encourages innovation and local manufacturing in NYC. We celebrated Queens Makers by hosting the first stop popup in a five borough tour.

Featuring Makers like bhold, Valentine Goods, and QNSMADE, as well as Plaxall and orgs like LIC Partnership and NYDesigns.

Smithsonian APA Wiki-a-thon

We were the New York City host for this national Smithsonian event, the first Wikipedia edit-a-thon dedicated to Asian Pacific American content. With simultaneous events hosted at Washington D.C., Austin, San Diego, Los Angeles, we helped grow our community by sharing their stories and information on the web.

NYC Tech Talent Summit

More than 100 attendees representing over 75 community organizations, tech companies, foundations, and elected officials gathered at the Inaugural NYC Tech Talent Summit to discuss the future of the City’s workforce development. We co-organized the event to gather feedback and best practices from the community, helping shape future investments in education and technology.

Organized by

Access Code 1.0 Updates

We knew that our Access Code 1.0 graduates had passion, dedication, and hustle but we are amazed at how much they have been able to achieve in such a short period of time. We are thrilled to be able to share in their success and look forward to the great things to come.

Where Our Graduates Were Hired

Access Code Community

Now equipped with industry experience, our Access Code 1.0 graduates are growing the program by helping to select the next cohort of students and teaching classes as well.

"Access Code was a phenomenal experience for me, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity I had to be a founding student. It catapulted me into a career in tech... [the] experience has also given me the confidence to pursue more skills..."

Eli Bierman, Access Code 1.0

Backgrounds & Skillsets

C4Q is growing, and we're looking to hire the best and brightest to help us achieve our mission.

Join Our Team

Board of Directors

Seeking the leadership and experience of experts across various disciplines, we expanded our Board of Directors in 2014.

www.c4q.nyc

We love our City and now our web address shows it.

In addition to launching our redesigned website, we were proud to represent Queens as a founding member of the newly created .NYC top-level domain, the official web address for New Yorkers.

New Supporters in 2014

Financials

We focused on our fundraising efforts to ensure that we continue to resource our programs and further our mission.

The Communities We Aim to Serve

We are pioneering a new model for tech education.

Creating the world's most inclusive tech community means providing skills and job opportunities to talented individuals across all social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. In the coming year we are expanding the Access Code program to serve the greater NYC population, particularly the majority of New Yorkers that do not have college degrees.

Educational Attainment in NYC

Policy & Advocacy

We are working to create a new type of district with special conditions that allow for prototyping and experimentation.

Precedent

Before becoming widely adopted, technologies such as automobiles, airplanes, and the internet were not readily understood and were viewed as disruptive or potentially dangerous. They in turn have become transformative and innovative industries.

One Last Thank You

A special thanks to the talented team members, volunteers, advisors, and industry leaders for helping us grow this past year.

Image Credit: Kai Song-Nichols, 2014 Summer Intern

Get Involved!

C4Q is growing, and we're looking for passionate and talented individuals to help us expand access to tech and create an inclusive tech community.

Job Opportunities Volunteer

Share