Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley – with an initial investment from Daniels Fund, El Pomar Foundation, and San Luis Valley Federal Bank in Alamosa – is in its second year of a comprehensive strategy to produce teen technologists who have the skills to compete for the emerging technology jobs of the 21st century in the fields of Information Technology, Drone Piloting, Pre-Engineering Robotics and Computer Science.

 

In January of 2017, an initial cohort of 14 students started their journey through the Boys & Girls Clubs San Luis Valley Teen Tech Academy located inside the former wood shop room at Alamosa High School. Of those students, 12 mastered the CompTIA IT Fundamentals test and have moved into an A+ certification course during the 2017-18 school year.

 

Seventy-five students are now taking courses during the school year that include Information Technology courses leading to A+, Network+ and Security+ certification courses; FAA Drone Certification courses; and courses in pre-engineering robotics and computer science.

 

In addition to the courses offered to high school students, Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley focuses elementary and middle school students on building skills in basic HTML coding through its after-school and summer enrichment camps.
Boys & Girls Clubs SLV has a full strategy that engages elementary and middle school students early with computer coding skills and prepares them for advanced settings that will lead to professional certifications at the high school level through the Teen Tech Academy.

 

This first-of-its-kind strategy in Colorado that partners a non-profit youth-serving organization with its local K-12 public education system is being certified as a Colorado Technical Education program through the Colorado Department of Education. This ongoing partnership is sponsored by Xcel Foundation, Kenneth King Foundation and others.