DIVAS for Social Justice launch affordable Tech Camp in Bedford Stuyvesant

DIVAS for Social Justice launched the very first STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) camp in Bedford Stuyvesant this week. The tech camp focuses on youth creating design projects for social change using digital media, robotics and introducing them to little bits, an open source library of electronic modules that snap together with magnets for prototyping, learning and fun. Technology camps can costs from $225 -$1000 a week. While tech camp is being offered in Downtown Brooklyn for $225 a week, 6 hours a day, DIVAS is providing a three- week camp for $375 Monday-Friday, 9 hours a day. This fee covers operational costs and all the facilitators are volunteering their time. Programs like this are imperative in communities of color because only 1 out of 10 computer programmers are of the African Diaspora and Information Technology is the fastest growing job market in the United States. DIVAS for Social Justice also believes that youth need to be change makers of the future and offer project based solutions towards social justice in underserved communities. Some of the projects the youth will be developing are:

The “STEAM News Team”- The youth are planning to create a newscast that will have three featured stories on the projects they are designing in camp will integrate in the Bedford Stuyvesant community. The members of the STEAM camp will serve as the production team for each story. This week the youth developed their news pitches to develop their stories. Clarisa James, Executive Director of DIVAS for Social Justice, facilitates this project.

Robotics for Social Change- Youth are building and programming a Lego Mindstorm Robotics Kits in preparation to compete in 2014 in First Lego League Competition that will focus on Nature’s Fury.  Professor Andrea Taylor of Pace University and lifetime resident and activist in Bedford Stuyvesant facilitate this project.

Let’s Move Initiative with Little Bits- Inspired by Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Initiative, youth will be designing a project with the electronic modules that will encourage Bed Stuy residents to exercise and help fight obesity. Sha Sha Feng, Co-founder of DIVAS for Social Justice and Lecturer/Web Developer at Hunter College Film and Media Department, facilitates this project.

DIVAS for Social Justice would like to provide interactive workshops in the closing final event for the whole community and has an indie-go –go campaign where you can give a little as $5 towards this program. You learn more about our campaign at the following link:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/divas-for-social-justice-steam-camp

We will document the next two weeks of our camp to in order to emphasize the importance of STEAM enrichment programs in underserved communities.