A $150,000 Tech Economic Pathways Commitment for NYC Youth

Today America On Tech (AOT) announces a myriad of free programs we are running for youth and young adults and a $150,000 commitment towards creating economic opportunities for over 100 students across NYC this summer. AOT is not putting a pause on its mission to prepare the next generation of technology leaders. In light of recent events surrounding COVID-19, racial injustice, the economic crisis, and the Department of Youth and Community Development’s (DYCD) cancellation of Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), we are more than ever fueled by our passion to ensure underestimated students in the communities we serve have access to equitable pathways to engage in the tech and innovation sector. ​

The following outlines our 2020 summer plans: 
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• 28 students participating in a 3-day professional development camp: Our professional development camp is a 3-day workshop series designed to prepare AOT students for paid 2020 summer technology internships and summer learning experiences. The sessions are led by technologists who commit to delivering educational content to our students and prepare them for career success. 

 

• 20 students participating in a paid UX Design Summer Internship Program: With a generous grant of $25,000 from the Meringoff Foundation, each student will receive $1,000 for their participation in our program and be provided with 120 hours of training on user experience design skills this summer. They will create individual mobile app projects in the program that serve mock local business clients. The students participating in the program are high school graduates of our 2019 - 2020 Tech Flex Leaders program who were directly impacted by the cancellation of the 2020 DYCD and SYEP summer-funded programs. AOT and General Assembly (GA) have partnered to make this curriculum and content deliverable to our students. 

 

• 40 students participating in a paid UX Design Camp: With a generous $10,000 grant from the Edwin Gould Foundation, each student will receive $250 for their participation in our program and be provided with training on user experience design skills. The students will be creating group projects in teams and competing for prizes through a competition at the end of the program. 

 

• 40 Students will participate in a week-long virtual tech camp: We're providing a free, week-long technology camp for new students into our programs this summer. The program will follow a re-designed version of our semester-long TECH360 program that we run during the school year.  Each student will leave the program with 40 hours of training on web development and design. 

 

• 7 students participating in paid summer internships with corporate partners: Though our summer internship program has been impacted, our partners have risen to the occasion. With the generous support from Common Point Queens and internship partners, we will be able to provide 7 students a 120 hour paid internship experience with the following companies: Codecademy, Internationals Network, My Money Workshop, Fam-In Savings and Sapphire Digital. Each student will receive a total of $1,800 in wages, 120 hours of on-the-job experience and participate in a virtual internship experience. 

 

• 8 AOT alums are being hired as peer mentors by AOT this summer: With generous support from the Meringoff Foundation, 8 AOT alumni have been hired as peer mentors for the summer. This will provide them with a stipend of $500, work experiences, and advanced knowledge on working in digital environments in preparation for the future of work and the new normal. They will be working alongside our team to help in the mentorship of our students completing user experience design course work this summer. 

 

• 100 AOT Alums participating in a virtual alumni summit: We’re hosting a virtual summit for our alums focused on the continuation of building their technical skills, professional acumen and financial savvy. The summit is set to take place in July 2020. We will also be announcing members of our Alumni Council during the summit for the 2020 - 2021 school year. Alumni Council members are AOT alums who are dedicated to helping shape the future of our programs for incoming students. Each alumni council member will receive a stipend of $500 for the year. 

 

• 40 East New York and Brownsville students participating in a 1 week technology camp through our partnership with Youth Design Center (formerly Made in Brownsville): Each of the 40 students from East New York and Brownsville who are selected for the program will receive technical training, professional development and a stipend of $400 for their participation and completion of the program. 

 

• 10 free virtual technology workshops for the public through our partnership with Youth Design Center (formerly Made in Brownsville): The 10 virtual workshops are free and open to the public. The series will cover both topics in web development, UX design, and digital media podcasting.

Planning and logistics for 2020 summer programming initiatives were made possible by a $50,000 grant from REDF. AOT is proud of our commitments to serve our students and youth across NYC this summer.