CodeBears: Key Insights Gained from a Summer Coding Camp Empowering Underrepresented Youth

A lack of early exposure to computer science and a shortage of role models are known barriers hindering underrep-resented students' pursuit and success in the field. Consistent research indicates that students lacking early exposure tend to avoid college-level computer science courses and frequently underperform compared to peers with prior experience. In response, we've created a two-week computer science camp tailored for upper elementary and middle school students from rural and low-income backgrounds. The camp adapts computer science concepts to diverse cultures, challenges stereotypes, and showcases the diverse backgrounds of computer scientists. This paper outlines the camp's design, shares experiences from 40 participating students, and highlights engaging lessons that in-corporate technologies such as Sphero Bolt, Sphero Rover, Tello Drones, Lego Spike Prime, and Scratch. We also gather data on students' favorite activities to understand their interests. Our discussion covers effective strategies for participant recruitment, community trust-building, professional development facilitation, camp activity organization, and project promotion. By sharing challenges and lessons learned, we aim to assist fellow researchers and educators in similar initiatives, fostering collaboration and progress in the field of computer science education.