DATA IS FOR

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Our Partners

Our Vision: To activate Black Kids to use data as a creative superpower

Our Mission: To close the diversity gap in data literacy

At all levels, Black students are less likely to have access to a computer science class at school. We have to close this diversity gap in data. Because data has been called the fuel of the 21st century, and it shouldn’t only be understood by the few. But we will fail if we start by asking kids if they want to be data scientists. Because data is not just for data scientists. Data is for athletes, artists, inventors, gamers, influencers, activists, entrepreneurs. And yes, data is also for data scientists.

Data isn’t a single career path. Data is a leg up. An x-factor. An exponent.

Data is everywhere, because technology is everywhere. And kids are constant users, sources, creators, and contributors of it. Understanding data is a new type of literacy. And there is power in it no matter what you want to be when you grow up. But you cannot be what you cannot see.

introducing:

A program that gets kids interested in data science to revamp the pipeline of talent.

The BKP curriculum expands 6th-12th grade kids’ idea of data and computer sciences from a geeky desk job they don’t want to a superpower that can help them predict and improve fun outcomes in the real world.

our philosophy

If it feels like school, it stays at school

We have to help kids make real connections and we can't just do it once.

Our founding Partners

The Team Behind BKP

Martin Gilliard

Founder and CEO, Optierra

Zipporah 
Allen

Chief Commercial Officer sweetgreen

Courtney Getum

Director of Solution Delivery - McKinsey and Company

Nichole Pinkard

Associate Professor at Northwestern University

Steven Keith Platt

Director of Analytics and Lecturer of Applied AI at Loyola University Chicago; and Site Director, The Institute for Data, Econometrics, Algorithms, and Learning

Marcelo Worsley

Associate Professor of Computer & Learning Sciences at Northwestern

Michael L. Thompson

President and Founder of Deciban Solutions, LLC

Derek Gaskins

Head of Guest Experience at BP

Matthew Kelly

SVP | Digital & Automation | Asset Management, Northern Trust Bank

Shawn Harris

CEO & Cofounder of Coworked

Vikas Mehta

CFO, Komodo Health

Donna Auguste

Founder and CEO of Auguste Research Group, LLC

Malik S. Henfield

Founding Dean and Professor of the
Institute for Racial Justice at
Loyola University Chicago

Vijay Pillai

Head of AI/ML
Engineering at CME Group

Our Metrics

500+

As of 2022, over 500 youth have already completed BKP Sports modules via Evanston D65, Chicago Parks, and Boys and Girls Club programming

1500+

As of 2022, over 1,500 additional youth were exposed to BKP Sports via pop-ups, 3v3 tournaments, etc.

4x

Students involved in 2022 BKP summer camps reported an approximate fourfold increase in their belief that “computer science can help (them) improve in sports”.

3x

Students involved in 2022 BKP summer camps reported about a threefold increase in their belief that “computer science is fun”.

We have the opportunity to make a huge impact.

BKP doesn't just stop with the curriculum...we attack the pipeline of talent. We don’t expect every kid to end up in a STEAM career, but whatever career they pursue, they will do so with the understanding and ability to apply data in ways that make them more successful.

With our partnerships and scale, we predict that we will achieve universal access to data science curriculum by the end of the decade.

our infrastructure

What makes us so sure we can pull this off?

01 STEAMbassadors

We have an existing process to hire and train 150 college-aged ambassadors who run the program and interface with the younger students. These ambassadors are also getting a STEAM education and learning to see data differently.

02 STEAMville

We will be plugging in to an existing educational platform, which allows kids to watch live lessons, previously recorded sessions, upload and showcase their work. This platform is where STEAMbasssadors complete their training. Parents also have access to this portal, which is essential.

You in?

Join Us

be a founding partner

Become a corporate or community-group partner.
Contact us through email, linked below.

leverage our curriculum

For educators or instructors, utilize our curriculum to help inform your students of computer science.
Contact us through email, linked below.

Sign up

Sign up your child to participate in BKP.
Contact us through email, linked below.

Contact the BKP Team:
blackkidspredict@gmail.com

contact

If you believe in creativity, opportunity, and kids discovering their brilliance.
Give today. Let’s change the future together.

Media

Reimagining STEM 2025
This is more than an event, it's a celebration of the community that powers Chicago's STEM future!
Reimagining STEM 2025
Your presence demonstrates to our students that exploration, creativity, and innovation begin at home and grow stronger together.
Reimagining STEM 2025
Let's do it together!

Contact Us:

BKP Team
bkp@northwestern.edu