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.