Urban Arts is a nonprofit serving underrepresented students for over 30 years.
1 Urban Arts teaches digital game design as a pathway to college and career for underrepresented students. Our free game design programs offer over 300+ hours of programming. #STEAMforAll #STEMforAll
2 We provide top-tier college-access services and ensure our students earn the maximum in scholarships. Our NYC seniors have a 100% matriculation rate and have earned $25 Million scholarships since 2017.
3 We connect our students and alumni to mentorships and internships at leading companies, generating a diverse talent pipeline and real economic mobility.
We offer a multi-year #STEM #STEAM education through game design—that’s the hook. It’s sticky, “hard fun.” Students are more likely to persist in computer science when they develop their own creations. Students learn creative confidence, high-tech skills, as well a collaboration, leadership and entrepreneurship—all through free game design programs.
In his book The Vanishing Middle Class, M.I.T. economist Peter Temin writes that escaping poverty requires almost 20 years of effort with nearly nothing going wrong. The first and most important driver of economic mobility is having access to a quality education. To create transformational change in a young person’s life, this education must then be sustained over a number of years. Of course, college is part of that equation. But even more than attending college, we know that graduating with minimum debt—or none at all—is the game changer for our community. Now imagine if a graduate also has the opportunity to build a network with top employers, giving them pathways to a well-paid career. Wouldn’t that be something?
And that’s why after thirty years of listening and learning, we’ve honed our approach to diversity in tech, inclusion in the future economy.
Each year our alumni cohort swells. With that, we gain new corporate partners who provide valuable entry and exposure, developing the next generation of talented hires. Further, we’re excited our new public Gaming Pathways initiative, in partnership with City College of New York, aligns with Mayor Adams’ economic development plan to drive inclusive growth while renewing NYC.
We have the opportunity to inspire and affect real and lasting change. Because a quality education shouldn’t depend on a child’s zip code.
#TechEducation #DiversifyTech #FreeGameDesign #CompSciForAll #InclusiveTech
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