By ARA

(ARA) – “They’re really useful and really cool,” enthuses Allysa Halvorson, age 11. She’s not talking about the latest Groovy Girl doll or her Nail Jazz. She’s talking about computers.

Everyday after school, Halvorson learns about graphic design, Internet searches and how to use PowerPoint and Photoshop through the Club Tech program. Club Tech is an innovative technology program being implemented at more than 3,300 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide. A partnership with Microsoft has provided a $100 million, five-year grant to outfit the Clubs with the latest software, a comprehensive technology-oriented curriculum and technical training for Club staff.

Historically, Boys & Girls Clubs have been known as safe, after-school havens where parents could send their kids to play sports, swim and get help with their homework. But now they are much more than that. The Club Tech program allows the organization to help prepare young people for a world in which technology has become increasingly important.

“When I started coming to the club, I had never seen so many computers,” says 16-year-old Joel Bueno, a regular participant in the Club Tech program in Mesa, Ariz. “I was impressed -- we don’t even have that many at school.”

Club Tech programs help kids learn how to use PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and the Internet for everything from book reports to research papers to career exploration. The Digital Arts Suite, a component of the Club Tech program, explores Web page design, desktop publishing, digital photography, digital movie making and electronic music making. The programs are all age-appropriate, interactive and most importantly, fun.

“We recognize the technology changes going on in the world, and we want to ensure that our Clubs and the young people they serve are a part of it,” says Charisma Cannon, a spokesperson for Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

The array of Club Tech programs are designed to equip young people with the basic and advanced technological skills needed to excel in school and the job market. They introduce kids to a full range of digital skills and possibilities, and demonstrate to them the power of technology and how it can be used to foster the imagination and explore the world around them.

“These kids are intrinsically motivated to learn,” says Mesa, Ariz., Club Tech instructor Josh Buffy. “Given the choice to continue working or have free time, they choose to continue working on their PowerPoint presentations. They find it more gratifying than a computer game.”

Even the smaller children get a lot from the program. “These kids have no fear,” says Buffy. “They do fine.”

Club Tech integrates technology into every aspect of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ organization, from the overall management to core programs, including educational enhancement, character and leadership development, and the arts.

Boys & Girls Clubs have evolved as more than just a place for recreation; they are taking an active role in preparing young people for success in the future, whatever their career choice may be.

Courtesy of ARA Content


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