'One Laptop, One Child' Teaches Coding Skills to Underserved Community, Provides Laptops
The "Think. Build. Pitch" boot camp, presented by Project Tech Teens, looks to not only equip 50 teens from underserved communities with practical computing and coding skills — including how to build mobile apps, but also arm students with a necessary tool that will help them practice their newfound skills: a laptop. Based in Chicago, which has more than 1.9 million Hispanics, the "Think. Build. Pitch" boot camp is a four-week, intensive summer program that engages 13- to 18-year-olds, teaching them critical thinking, business planning and technological solutions.
Take a moment to check out our Indiegogo, if enough of us get behind it, we can make 'One Laptop, One Child' happen! https://t.co/3uGt7m5mem
- Scott L. Steward (@webreakbread) June 23, 2014
Minorities, particularly female minorities, are underrepresented in the tech field. Project Tech Teens recognizes this and addresses it through summer programming and yearlong, in-school courses. The ambitious foundation works tirelessly to show students the long-term value of coding so they can see the connection between learning code and getting a job in tomorrow's economy. The project also addresses parents' concerns about mobile application development as a career by training them to code as well so they can stay current.
"There's a whole generation of young people who are being overlooked, and we've got to find a way to solve this problem in education. One thing we know for sure is that young people regardless of race, color and creed ... young people are engaged in technology," said Scott L. Steward, co-founder and CEO of Project Tech Teens. "Project Tech Teens is at a unique position right now to take that natural engagement and add some skill sets on top of it. It's an opportunity for students to solve problems and become better thinkers. And, hopefully, put them in the position where they can change their social and economic situation. We believe that Project Tech Teens is the gateway to a prosperous future."
Project Tech Teens launched a digital fundraising campaign to help raise $7,500 for the boot camp. The money will finance 50 laptops (to address Chicago's huge digital divide), field trips to some of Chicago's booming tech companies (Groupon, Spot Hero and Base Camp) and part of the $10,000 cash prize awarded to the student who presents the winning mobile app solution to a panel of judges at the end of the four-week session.
The "One Laptop, One Child" campaign launched June 11 and closes July 14.
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