Startup Day for 200 teens at Boys & Girls Club

I am so excited to share our progress with you. In the past couple of months, we have launched the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy at two additional clubs with another 30 students. Activities within the STEM Academy are preparing the teens for Startup Day. From app development to working in teams developing an online business to building entry level career IT skills, the STEM Academy is serving as an incubator for members getting ready for Startup Day.

For additional Startup Day preparation, over 100 members participated in the Hour of Code last week. For some it was their first foray into programming. And during the Hour of Code, some of the teens found their voices. It was amazing to watch them discover the magic in writing a program and watching the result. Lily and Cinnamon were bosses at problem solving and fixing their code to run as they wanted! Helping each other was the character skill of the day; one student after another was eager to share solutions.

More students are preparing for Startup Day. We are exploring partnerships with companies and organizations to get additional training for teens. Volunteer mentor recruitment is underway so that teens have additional support backed by industry professionals.

Thank you for your support of our teens. I am confident they will make you proud on Startup Day.

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Because of your generosity, this summer was spectacular for getting students engaged with microproject activities at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands. Over 40 teens at two different Clubs were introduced to website development, computer refurbishing, and Cisco Networking Academy IT Essentials. Staff will kickoff microproject activities with 30 more students at two additional Clubs in October. This will bring our total to over 70 teens engaged in Startup Day project activities. Your giving has resulted in $3925 in donations plus over another $1100 in matching funds. With funding from various sources, we are really close to providing full resources for all of our microprojects. Thank you!

Cisco Networking Academy update

Two weeks after completing instructor training, the first class of the Cisco Networking Academy began at the North Omaha Boys & Girls Club on Monday. There is so much interest that the instructor is running three consecutive classes in the afternoon to accommodate all of the students. Thirty-two participants range in age from 14 to 16 have jumped in are engaging in the curriculum.

In reviewing possible career pathways after training and certification, the mixed group of teens expressed interest in pursuing jobs and post secondary careers related to information technology. Starting income levels for certified professionals were much higher than many of the teens expected to see. When asked if pursuing a  high school IT internship with a local company paying $15 was of interest, the majority of hands in the room were raised.

The first couple of days were spent covering basic computer parts in an interactive classroom that included handouts, presentations, and actually holding the parts of the computer. In a rare occurrence two participants shared the instructor how much they liked the class on day one! This great from two perspectives: the instructor is young African American male in his sophomore year majoring in Physics at Georgia Tech who loves math and computers and wanted to share that with students who may not see themselves in STEM fields. The other is that these students felt comfortable enough in the class to express that they liked it!

Thank you for making these projects possible. Education and opportunity are pathways out of poverty. You are helping us to provide both in a fun environment with caring adults to guide them.