Hands-on Technology Experience for Low-Income Kids

"I really like all the teachers at Citizen Schools and I'm very invested in the organization....Repeatedly working with CS has given me an opportunity to develop leadership skills outside of work." - Harry (NY)

Citizen Schools' mission is "Educating Children, Strengthening Communities." Our vision is to close the opportunity and achievement gap for middle school students from low-income communities and move students onto a successful track, heading toward high school graduation, college attainment, and positions of leadership in their careers and communities. Since its inception in Boston in 1995, Citizen Schools has partnered with middle schools and communities to reimagine the learning day and provide all students with rigorous and engaging experiences that connect students’ current learning to their future. We mobilize a second shift of afternoon educators, who provide academic support, leadership development, and apprenticeships - hands-on projects taught by volunteers from business and civic organizations. By focusing on middle school, Citizen Schools capitalizes on this critical developmental period and inflection point, effectively setting students' sights on graduation, college matriculation, and ultimately a successful career. Citizen Schools also seeks to build a strong and skilled pipeline of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and technology professionals to fill the national gap in qualified STEM professions. In the 2015-16 school year, Citizen Schools served 5,100 students from disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, 96% of whom are children of color. Google remains one of Citizen Schools’ leading supporters – not only through financial contributions but especially through the human capital of Googlers, who teach our students in 10-week, hands-on apprenticeships.

"Citizen Schools helped me improve on how to present to a crowd that doesn't have enough knowledge on the subject being presented...For the most part students were eager and excited to learn and this made the experience very rewarding to me." - Abraham (CA)

During this past academic year, 129 Google Citizen Teachers led 39 apprenticeships in Citizen Schools programs, bringing learning to life for more than 600 students. Apprenticeships taught by Googlers included:

• Lego Robotics - A team of four committed engineers in Google’s New York office, led by Harry, a software engineer, taught students the basics of robotics. After building robots capable of completing specific tasks, they competed against each other at their end-of-semester WOW! Allison, of the Googlers serving as a CT in this apprenticeship, shared that volunteering provided her a “better understanding of engineering work that Googlers do. It also felt great to be a part of something bigger than just my day to day life.”

• Science Explorers - Abraham, a software engineer from California, led students in working in groups to complete experiments to learn about molecules, chemical reactions, and polymers. They also learned how the scientific method can be used to design experiments, ultimately designing an experiment to perform in front of family members and friends at the end-of-semester WOW! When asked for a particularly memorable moment from this apprenticeship, Abraham said, “Seeing students look up to me when I performed the experiment and asking for help when it was their turn was an amazing feeling.”

"It was great to be a part of the Citizen Schools program and it was rewarding to see the progress that the students made from beginning to end." - Jen (NY)

This summer, Google Citizen Teachers who displayed a commitment to service by volunteering as a Citizen Teacher twice or more over the past two years were recognized with the President's Volunteer Service Award. 20 Googlers received this award at regional events earlier this summer, and we celebrate their dedication to the important work of Citizen Schools. The enthusiasm of Google volunteers continues to inspire children and colleagues alike, as they explore new worlds with students and set them on a course for success in high school, college, and careers.

Working with the kids was great! Their energy and enthusiasm was contagious...and their ideas were wonderful. It was inspirational to watch the kids make the most of this opportunity to learn programming...and to see what they did with what we taught them! - Daniel, a Google CT

Citizen Schools' mission is "Educating Children, Strengthening Communities." Our vision is to close the opportunity and achievement gap for middle school students from low-income communities and move students onto a successful track, heading toward high school graduation, college attainment, and positions of leadership in their careers and communities. Since its inception in Boston in 1995, Citizen Schools has partnered with middle schools and communities to reimagine the learning day and provide all students with rigorous and engaging experiences that connect students’ current learning to their future. We mobilize a second shift of afternoon educators, who provide academic support, leadership development, and apprenticeships - hands-on projects taught by volunteers from business and civic organizations. By focusing on middle school, Citizen Schools capitalizes on this critical developmental period and inflection point, effectively setting students' sights on graduation, college matriculation, and ultimately a successful career. Citizen Schools also seeks to build a strong and skilled pipeline of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and technology professionals to fill the national gap in qualified STEM professions. In the 2015-16 school year, Citizen Schools is serving 5,100 students from disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, 96% of whom are children of color. Google remains one of Citizen Schools’ leading supporters – not only through financial contributions but especially through the human capital of Googlers, who teach our students in 10-week, hands-on apprenticeships.

[I] met some great colleagues who are now friends. [It] also made me very grateful to work for an employer that supports an organization like [Citizen Schools] like the Google CAM office does. - Tracy, a Google CT

It has been great connecting with other colleagues at work helping out with the apprenticeship. I think how effectively you are able to engage the students and teach them demonstrates what type of communicator you are...[I] really enjoy the students and the support at Google is fantastic! - John, a Google CT

We are currently in our spring semester, and Googlers are helping students discover and hone new skills across the country. In California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, over 50 Googlers are volunteering as Citizen Teachers, leading 19 apprenticeships for over 275 students. These apprenticeships include Design Thinking, Brand You, Lego Robotics, Web Design, Pencil Code and Spoken Word.

In the coming weeks, these students - with support from the Googlers - will participate in a variety of semester-end events where they could show what they’ve learned to the community. These events, which we call WOW!s, will be held across the country. Students will answer questions from guests, including family members and other Google employees. If you have never been able to attend a WOW!, we invite you to join us! You can find details here.

I loved everything about Citizen School[s]. ...I've already recommended Citizen Schools to my team at work as well as anyone I chat with about it. - Thomas, a Google CT

Citizen Schools is so grateful for our powerful partnership with Google and its employees. The enthusiasm of Google volunteers continues to inspire children and colleagues alike, as they explore new worlds with students and set them on a course for success in high school, college, and careers.