Coding for Well-Being: How Urban Coders Guild Embraces Salutogenesis to Build a Healthier Future

Written By Mikeal Vaughn

Urban Coders Guild (UCG) is more than a place to learn how to code. It is a haven where students—especially Black, Latino, Indigenous, and other underrepresented, underresourced, and underserved youth—build confidence, form community, and develop the skills and mindset to thrive in life and in the tech industry. At the heart of this work lies a powerful yet often overlooked concept: salutogenesis.

I first heard the term salutogenesis from my sister, Kymberly Daniels, an Associate Professor at Tulsa Community College and a certified trauma support specialist. We were talking about the challenges our students face during one of our Sunday family dinners when she introduced the concept to me. In that moment, something clicked. This was the word that perfectly captured what we have been doing at Urban Coders Guild.

Coined by medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky in 1979, salutogenesis asks a different question than most health-focused frameworks. Instead of asking, "What causes disease?" it asks, "What supports human health and well-being?" (Antonovsky, 1979). In short, it is a theory of human flourishing. Salutogenesis emphasizes protective factors, such as relationships, purpose, and mastery, which help people cope with stress and build meaningful lives. This approach aligns perfectly with UCG's mission to provide access, opportunity, and support for youth in Tulsa through computer science education.

A Sense of Coherence in the Coding Classroom

Antonovsky proposed that well-being is enhanced when individuals experience a "sense of coherence" composed of three key components: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. Urban Coders Guild nurtures this sense in every aspect of its programming.

Students report that coding concepts are introduced in ways that are both challenging and understandable. They are guided step by step through real-world projects that feel accessible rather than overwhelming. As students begin to manage increasingly complex tasks and see their work come to life in mobile apps, websites, or games, they gain a sense of mastery and agency. Most importantly, the work feels meaningful. Students understand that what they are building has value and that their tech skills can contribute to their communities and futures.

A student in the Game Development track reflected, "We've been working on making our own game, and it's very fulfilling to see my idea come to life. It's definitely been hard, and I've hit many roadblocks, but with the help of our instructors, I've been able to get past them" (Student Interview Transcripts, 2025). This quote embodies the essence of salutogenesis in action: a young person who feels supported finds purpose in their work and gains confidence through persistence and mentorship. It also speaks directly to the kind of environment UCG creates, one that cultivates resilience, problem-solving, and identity development through meaningful engagement with technology.

These outcomes are intentional. They are nurtured through UCG’s “5 C’s” framework: Comfort in advanced technical environments, Courage to try new or difficult things, Confidence to persist through challenges, Community as learners and collaborators, and Competency as future professionals with real-world skills. Each of these pillars directly supports Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory. Comfort and courage help establish psychological safety and agency, aligning with comprehensibility and manageability. Confidence and competency reinforce students’ belief in their own ability to solve problems. Community gives rise to belonging and shared meaning, all of which are key to sustaining well-being and purpose in learning.

Why Salutogenesis Matters in the Current Landscape

The value of a salutogenic approach becomes especially clear in the context of the challenges facing Oklahoma students. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the state has some of the highest average Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores in the nation (Oklahoma State Department of Health, 2023). These early traumas, ranging from abuse and neglect to food insecurity and unstable housing, can have profound effects on a child’s ability to learn, focus, and succeed in traditional educational environments.

Layered on top of this are well-documented gaps in Oklahoma’s public education system: chronic underfunding of schools, teacher shortages, limited mental health support, a lack of investment in STEM education and out-of-school time programs, and the defunding of initiatives designed to serve students of color.

In such an environment, UCG’s emphasis on safe, inclusive, and strengths-based learning is essential. By building programs that emphasize student agency, relationship-building, and competence, UCG supports students' social-emotional growth and academic progress. For underserved, underrepresented, and underresourced students who often face systemic barriers, limited support networks, and environments not built with their success in mind, this salutogenic approach is not just beneficial. It is vital. It helps strengthen a sense of identity, cultivates resilience, and creates space for students to envision a future shaped by possibility rather than limitation.

Tulsa’s Past and Future: Context for Salutogenic Work

Urban Coders Guild operates in a city with a painful history and a promising future. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed a flourishing Black business district and left a legacy of distrust, inequity, and disinvestment. And for decades after, communities of color were denied access to education, opportunity, and capital.

Today, Tulsa is investing in inclusive innovation and economic opportunity to become a tech hub that serves all its communities. Organizations like Build in Tulsa, Black Tech Street, and Tulsa Innovation Labs are expanding access to capital, entrepreneurship, and high-growth tech careers for those historically excluded. Their efforts further Urban Coders Guild’s salutogenic mission by creating pathways for students to not only gain technical skills but also grow socially, emotionally, and professionally. These investments reflect a larger trend noted by the Brookings Institution, which identifies Tulsa as one of several mid-sized cities pursuing tech-based growth with equity at the center (Brookings Institution, 2021).

UCG’s salutogenic model prepares students who were once systemically excluded from these opportunities to thrive in them. By focusing on the whole person and the context they come from, UCG is not only preparing students to enter the tech workforce. It is contributing to a healthier, more resilient, and more inclusive tech ecosystem.

How the Ecosystem Can Support UCG’s Salutogenic Mission

To strengthen and sustain this salutogenic work, collaboration is essential.

Parents and families can support their children’s participation by celebrating effort, progress, and perseverance. When parents treat coding as a serious academic and creative pursuit, it affirms the student’s sense of purpose and value.

School administrators and educators can help by integrating UCG’s programming into school systems. Dual credit opportunities, shared resources, and in-school mentorships can expand reach and reinforce learning. In districts where resources are scarce, partnering with programs like UCG can be a lifeline.

Donors and supporters should recognize that investing in UCG is not just funding a coding class. It is an investment in youth wellness, trauma-informed education, and future-ready communities. Contributions help UCG offer meals, transportation, certification preparation, and mentorship. Each of these elements has been shown to increase student engagement and long-term success.

Finally, tech companies and ecosystem partners can amplify impact by offering internships, mentoring opportunities, and real-world projects. These partnerships allow students to see themselves in the industry and translate classroom experiences into professional competencies. Tulsa’s emergence as a tech hub will require not just innovation but inclusion. Programs like UCG are the bridge.

Conclusion: Health Through Code

Salutogenesis teaches us that well-being is not merely the absence of hardship. It is the presence of connection, growth, and purpose. Urban Coders Guild embodies these principles by transforming coding into a tool for healing, empowerment, and opportunity. Through its commitment to holistic development, UCG provides students with not just technical knowledge but the social-emotional scaffolding they need to persist, achieve, and lead. In a state marked by high ACE scores and persistent educational inequities, UCG’s salutogenic approach ensures that students are not merely surviving but thriving, and are equipped to do so throughout their academic and professional careers. As Tulsa continues to position itself as a center for tech innovation, the success of that transformation will depend on whether all students—not just a privileged few—have the opportunity to participate in and shape the future. UCG’s work is not just innovative. It is indispensable, urgent, and transformative.

References:

Mikeal Vaughn

Urban Coders Guild exists to provide computer science education access and opportunities to youth from historically underserved, underrepresented and otherwise under-resourced communities.

https://www.urbancodersguild.org
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