URBAN Teens Exploring Technology ( TXT )

Kids ages 10-17 from low income communities in LA will collaborate, design, code, & create a new LA for the year 2050 using Minecraft

Imagine what life could be like if a teen in South Los Angeles could see more computers than liquor stores while walking home from school. Imagine if South LA did not have the highest unemployment rate in the city but instead produced the highest number of tech pioneers in the country. URBAN Teens eXploring Technology (URBAN TxT), a local nonprofit with a city-wide focus, seeks to accomplish that by building a technology innovation center in one of the most underinvested areas in the city. URBAN TxT will build a “hacker space” - a space with technology equipment and an open-door policy for everyone who wants to express creativity, address social issues through computer programing, and innovate through collaboration. URBAN TxT’s hacker space will also be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) by providing wireless connectivity so that those with computers, tablets or phones can come in to work on individual or team projects. At this space you will find individuals with different levels of technology experience who will help each other master 21st century skills. In an area of the city where teens will come across more prostitutes than parks, a community space that unites technology and innovative thinking will transform the landscape of how the community interacts within itself and with the city. URBAN TxT’s hacker space is the next logical step for a program that has used computer programming and web development over the past three years to set inner city youth on a path of leadership and STEM careers. More importantly, the hacker space will be a sanctuary for the next generation of leaders so that they can learn the skills needed to fulfill today’s job opportunities and to excel in the jobs of tomorrow. URBAN TxT’s vision for a hacker space is bigger than a community center that uses technology to bring everyone together for an innovative and better future. It will prepare students for college and beyond, while empowering those not in school and educating parents so everyone can succeed in the working world. Investing in a South LA technology innovation center, or hacker space, means investing where we’ll see the biggest impact. The population of South LA is hungry for success and opportunity because life there does not offer an easy path. The area sees more than half of its students drop out of school. With 32% of African Americans unemployed and Latinos not far behind, it’s imperative we do something to shift trends and prevent further damage. URBAN TxT’s hacker space will empower a population that has a drive to succeed which has not yet been nurtured. Although the direct investment is localized to South LA, the benefits go past the city of LA. The space will be available to everyone who wants to use technology and creativity in a positive manner. Better yet, because technology breaks down physical barriers, a part of the city that currently has an abysmal 30% of homes with internet access could be connected to all parts of the world. URBAN TxT's hacker space will also provide a community space for schools, churches, non-profit organizations and others that need to add tech to their curriculums. The space will serve as a venue for community events, like the South LA Hack-A-Thon which already happened once in February and will happen again on April 13th, 2013, to further bring the community together. Education will be heavily impacted through URBAN TxT's hacker space. The initiative will increase attendance rates of inner city youth to 4-year universities, engage students in the educational process through a recreational outlet with professional benefits, and will increase scholarship opportunities by providing students with valuable skills and experience. URBAN TxT's hacker space will further impact education by uniting diverse and specialized skill sets thanks to and through partnerships. The space will allow for workshops on new programming languages, forums with founders of tech start-ups and team building activities using different educational techniques. The impact on the indicator can be predicted because URBAN TxT is already seeing these results. 100% of graduating seniors that go through URBAN TxT have gone on to 4-year universities, all students come out of the program with advanced tech knowledge, founders and executive from small and large tech companies are already involved, students have higher aspirations and confidence levels, and the program continuously explores learning methods that create accountability between students while producing better results. The group started out meeting at a local coffee shop already released its first product built by students, YouPolitic.me. Students built the online platform in the summer of 2012 as a way to engage high school students in the political process. The site runs mock elections, aggregates data and allows for easy sharing. URBAN TxT represents the future of education and business, with responsibility first and enterprise second.