The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is offering a new technology education program that aims to equip minority middle school boys for future careers in the tech sector. Under the program, 100 Black and Latino boys will be taught 3-D modeling and app development for eight weeks within two academic years.
The Washington Post reports that the summer boot camp called "Verizon Minority Male Makers Program" is offered for free to minority middle school boys from D.C. public schools, charters and private institutions. Black and Latino boys from sixth to eighth grades can take part of the new technology education program regardless of their academic performance.
The Purpose Of The New Technology Education Program
According to D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, the purpose of the "Verizon Minority Male Makers Program" is to give Black and Latino boys an opportunity that will inspire greatness. She added that the new technology education program is part of the $20-million investment of D.C. school system to boost the academic achievements of minority boys.
Three UDC faculty members and some minority college and graduate students will be serving as mentors for the new technology education program that will span for two years. The minority middle school boys will be required to take part of two four-week summer camps in two academic years.
The application deadline for the new technology education program is on June 15. The first summer camp of the two-year program will run from June 27 to July 22.
More Education Programs For Black And Latino Boys
Black and Latino boys comprised 43 percent of the student population in D.C. The new technology education program is just a part of various education programs that are intended for the empowerment of minority boys.
In a report of Huffington Post last year, Henderson announced that an all-boys college preparatory high school will open in 2017 as part of the district's "Empowering Males of Color" initiative. D.C also allocated $20 million to support programs for Black and Latino boys to help them succeed in school and the workforce.
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