Don't just play on your phone — program it.
— President Barack Obama · Computer Science Education Week, 2013The Bolton Foundation is a nonprofit expanding tech access for South Side Chicago youth — starting with hands-on workshops that show kids they can build technology, not just consume it.
Flagship program
Program-It — coding workshops for the next generation of makers.
Free, hands-on workshops for South Side youth. The first session runs July 14, 2026 in Hazel Crest, IL, in partnership with Hip-Hop DetoxX.
Youth · Coding · Chicago
Build a real game. Leave with something you made.
Kids walk in never having written a line of code. They leave with a working Flappy Bird game they built themselves in Scratch — and the belief that they can build more.
Why this matters
The gap isn't talent. It's access.
Bright, curious kids on Chicago's South Side rarely encounter the same on-ramps into software that their peers elsewhere take for granted. We're changing that — one workshop, one kid, one "I made this" moment at a time.
Workshop on the calendar
Jul 14, 2026 · Hazel Crest, IL
Always, no strings
No cost to kids or families
Kids leave with a real project
Their code, their game, their portfolio
Partner with us.
We're actively looking for schools, community organizations, and volunteers who want to bring Program-It to more kids across Chicago's South Side. If that's you — say hi.
Email the foundation