What is the process for starting a new Club?

Eligibility: Make sure you're eligible to apply by checking out the requirements on our main Start a Club page.

Resources: Identify that you have access to internet, a laptop, a Facilitator, and a Teacher (these last two can be the same individual).

Timeline: Decide when you plan to run your Club. You can select a start date any time in the next 6 months.

Once you've figured out these details, you're ready to apply by filling out a Clubs Application!

The application should only take about 15 minutes to complete. After you submit the application, you'll receive instructions about our background check requirements via email.

Once you've completed the application and the background check requirements, you'll hear back about your Club status within a week.

How much does it cost to start a Club?

Nothing. There are NO fees to start a Club, and CYD will provide additional recruitment and teaching resources for your Club.

How is the Code Your Dreams Club hosted?

All lessons are hosted virtually over Zoom by default.

What are the best practices for recruiting Club members?

Some recruitment strategies we've heard from successful Clubs include:

• Reaching out to parent mailing lists (with approval from that organization) to share our informational flyer, and/or advertise about an upcoming info session that you will be hosting to talk about Code Your Dreams

• Posting on social media that you will be starting a Club, and have a call-to-action for parents to reach out to you if they feel like the program would be a good fit for their student

• Creating an online sign-up form, such as with Google Doc Forms, to gather interest from parents and/or students and reach back out to them when you're ready to start the Club

Each community and your respective host organization is unique! We love to hear about what strategies your Club is taking, so we can share them with new and/or prospective Facilitators. Let us know what works for you at clubs@codeyourdreams.org.

What is the background check process?

CYD has strict background check requirements for volunteers who interact with students. We do this for the safety of our members and is standard procedure in volunteering with minors. Applicants will only be able to access our learning platform once their application and background check requirements have been approved.

If your Clubs application is tentatively approved, the designated Facilitator and Teacher will receive email invites to complete a background check. Only once the Facilitator and Teacher have both passed the background check will the application be fully approved.

Passed background check results remain valid for up to 5 years.

How do I access the curriculum and recruitment resources?

All materials are provided by email after your Club application is approved.

What is the status of my Club application?

CYD generally processes applications within a week of receipt and notifies applicants about the Club status via email. The email will be sent from clubs@codeyourdreams.org.

If you recently submitted an application (to renew, start a new Club, or become a Facilitator) and have yet to hear back from us - don't worry! Your application is in the queue and will be reviewed by our team as quickly as possible.

Will Code Your Dreams send someone to lead my Club?

Clubs must find their own Facilitator and Teacher, who can be the same individual.

Code Your Dreams provides all curriculum, teaching materials, recruitment resources, and Club support.

Where can I get a copy of the Participation Agreement and other documents?

Clubs applicants who have been approved will receive a copy of their Participation Agreement as a PDF attachment in their application confirmation email.

The subject heading for the confirmation email is "Thank you for your Code Your Dreams Club application."

If your confirmation email is missing this attachment or you need a copy of your summer-specific Participation Agreement, please reach out to us at clubs@codeyourdreams.org.

What is my role in the Club?

You can be a Facilitator, who 1.) guides Club members through the curriculum, 2.) builds community within Club members, or a Teacher, who instructs the live classes. The same person can also serve both as a Facilitator and Teacher.

Facilitators are not required to have any technical experience, as long as they are willing to learn alongside their Club members. Facilitators can be teachers, computer scientists, librarians, parents, college students, or volunteers from any background or field. That’s why we distinguish between Facilitators and Teachers.

However, Teachers are required to have the technical expertise required to lecture about the topics in our curriculum.