Serving in Solidarity to Meet Vital Needs

Repair the World service partner Kiddo Byte offers free coding courses and computer donations to children, regardless of their ability to pay. Kiddo Byte is working to make computer science accessible and equitable for all, while “sharing the magic of coding,” because “programming is the future, yet it seems that many kids are not being prepared for that.”

Robbie Khazan (he/him), founder and chief instructor for Kiddo Byte at only 17 years old, values the partnership with Repair the World, whose service is “vital to our organization,” including volunteering to run courses, fundraise, and onboard new staff. According to Robbie, the corps members and volunteers have provided essential assistance, such as securing a grant from Whole Foods and community outreach expanding Kiddo Byte’s efforts to provide access to computer science to more children.

Support from Repair the World has given us the capacity to run more free courses for more students, says Robbie. Our organizations’ missions to serve community members and make a difference are extremely aligned. That is exactly what we’ve been looking for.

Repair the World Service Corps Members show up in solidarity, achdoot, to serve alongside nonprofit partners and meet their pressing needs. In June 2021, Kiddo Byte donated Chromebooks to the Brookview House, a transitional housing shelter. That was made possible because of the fundraising efforts through their partnership with Repair. “That day stands out as one of the best and most meaningful days of my life,” said Robbie. “Seeing the look on residents’ faces made me so grateful to be able to make a small impact on their lives. It was truly magical.”

In addition to the meaningful work of service corps members, Robbie values other aspects of the partnership as well. He’s inspired by the different types of people coming together through service, saying, “When you’re starting a small nonprofit, having the support of larger organizations and access to so many people who are just as passionate about giving back as you are, is really motivating.”

The impact of the partnership with Repair has shown Robbie that even helping out in smaller ways is vital and meaningful. “Uniting people of all different backgrounds towards a common goal is also key to the work we do.”

Thanks in part to the Repair partnership, Kiddo Byte continues to expand their programs and partnerships, providing online classes to children across Boston, the country, and the world. 

I’m Robbie, the founder and chief instructor at Kiddo Byte. I have loved computer science since I was little. Looking back, making Scratch games with my Dad was the spark that ignited my curiosity for computer science as a whole. I started Kiddo Byte to help light that spark for others, and share my love for computer science through fun, engaging courses. At 16 years old I have gotten an internship in programming, helped code my team’s competitive robot, taken multiple computer science courses, and had fun the entire way. Computer science qualifications: I know Scratch, Python, and Java. I have taken an online course to learn Python through MIT. I took AP Computer science principles sophomore year. Leadership qualifications: I had an internship at MITRE through the Future Leaders Program, I co-founded my school’s Science Fair Club, and I am currently a Diller Teen Fellow. I decided to offer our courses for free because all kids should have access to computer science, regardless of their ability to pay.

Kiddo Byte’s mission is to give all kids access to computer science, regardless of their ability to pay. They want to spread the magic of coding, through fun and interactive classes and interesting material.