Dream Hustle Code

Dream Hustle Code’s mission is to level the tech playing field so that kids from underrepresented and underestimated communities have access, opportunities, and exposure to Computer Science.

World Youth Horizons is proud to support this mission of opening doors in technology for young people who might otherwise be left out of them.

From Consumer to Creator: The Story of Ian Michael Brock

In 2013, eight-year-old Ian Michael Brock was growing up in Chicago with many of the same interests as other children his age. He loved basketball, video games and watching YouTube. Becoming a computer programmer was nowhere on his radar.

Then his parents showed him a video produced by Code.org called What Most Schools Don’t Teach. At first, Ian was not especially interested. But everything changed when NBA star Chris Bosh appeared on the screen and talked about learning to code.

Ian saw someone who looked like him and shared his love of basketball succeeding in a world he had never imagined for himself.

Suddenly, computer science felt possible.

That single moment planted the seed for what would become Dream Hustle Code.

As Ian began exploring technology, he and his parents recognized a much larger problem. Many Black and Brown children were growing up surrounded by technology but were rarely given the opportunity, encouragement or resources to learn how to create it. They knew how to use smartphones, games and apps, but few were being shown that they could become the programmers, engineers and entrepreneurs who built them.

Ian and his family decided they wanted to help change that.

They co-founded Dream Hustle Code with a powerful mission: to inspire confidence and interest in computer science among young people from underrepresented and underestimated communities. The goal was not simply to teach children how to code. It was to help them see themselves differently, to understand that they could become producers of technology rather than only consumers of it.

Ian initially participated in the programs alongside the other children. Over time, however, he grew into the voice and public face of the organization. Because he was close in age to the students, he could connect with them in a way that many adults could not. He understood their interests, their language and, most importantly, the doubts that sometimes made them believe technology was not a place for them.

Dream Hustle Code began creating events and learning experiences that made computer science feel exciting, relevant and culturally connected. Young people were introduced not only to coding but also to mentors, companies and possibilities they might never otherwise have encountered.

World Youth Horizons partnered with Ian and Dream Hustle Code to expand those possibilities even further. Together, we created experiences that took children from Chicago’s inner-city communities into places such as Warner Bros., Google and other leading companies and institutions. These visits gave young people the opportunity to step inside industries they had previously seen only from the outside, meet people building the future and discover career paths they may never have known existed.

These experiences were built around a simple but powerful belief: when children can see what is possible, they can begin to believe it is possible for them.

For some students, it was their first time walking into a major technology company or entertainment studio. They could see how coding, creativity, storytelling, engineering and entrepreneurship came together in the real world. The people working in these spaces were no longer distant figures on a screen. They became living examples of what the students themselves could one day become.

When the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person programs impossible, Ian and his team refused to allow the mission to stop. They moved their programming online and launched New Nerd LIVE, a virtual computer-programming and personal-development experience. What could have been a setback became an opportunity to reach children far beyond Chicago.

The organization later launched Teen Tech LIVE, a virtual enrichment experience connecting students with technology, education, mentorship and personal development. The annual event now reaches approximately 40,000 young people, and World Youth Horizons is proud to sponsor it.

Through Teen Tech LIVE, children from communities across the United States and around the world can access the same kind of inspiration that changed Ian’s life at eight years old. Students have participated from countries including Nigeria, Jamaica, Canada, England and New Zealand, showing that the need for opportunity, encouragement and representation extends far beyond any one city or country.

Ian’s message began reaching even larger audiences. He appeared on CBS, BET, NPR and other national platforms. He became the first Black teenager from Chicago to speak on the main stage at the Startup Grind Global Conference in Silicon Valley. He was recognized by Microsoft, McDonald’s and the Museum of Science and Industry, and was named a finalist for the TIME and Nickelodeon Kid of the Year award.

Yet the heart of Ian’s story is not found in the recognition he has received. It is found in the children who now see a future for themselves that they may not have believed was possible.

Ian understands that talent exists everywhere, even when opportunity does not. Dream Hustle Code and World Youth Horizons are working together to help close that gap, one student, one experience and one moment of inspiration at a time.

Ian’s journey began because, at eight years old, he saw someone who looked like him doing something he had never considered doing.

Today, Ian is creating that same moment for the next generation.

Through Dream Hustle Code, he is showing young people that they belong in technology, that their ideas have value and that they have the power to help shape the future. Through our partnership, World Youth Horizons is helping more children enter the rooms, meet the people and experience the places that allow them to imagine an entirely different future.

The name itself captures the lesson of Ian’s journey:

Dream beyond what you can currently see.

Hustle to turn possibility into progress.

And learn to write the code for your own future.