AT&T teams up with The Digital Arts Experience to Offer Free Summer STEAM Class

SCARSDALE, N.Y. - EntSun -- AT&T and The Digital Arts Experience (DAE) have partnered to create the region's first computer coding summer program exclusively for regional underserved middle school students, Code Heroes - Learn to Code, Change the World with The Digital Arts Experience and AT&T, designed to encourage more students to enter the field of technology, specifically coding, an industry that is growing exponentially and to address the diversity gap in the technology industry. The program will provide 30 students from local schools (incoming grades 6-8) across the Lower Hudson region an opportunity to gain coding skills and experiences and engage them to follow a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) educational and career path, while learning how technology can be used for social good to curb cyberbullying and promote online safety. The program is from July 22-26 & July 29- August 2 from 1:00 - 4:00 each day at DAE, 303 Central Park Ave., Scarsdale. The free two-week program has been made possible by a $22,000 contribution from AT&T.

The participants will learn computer coding basics, learn from mentors and professional coders on the many career opportunities available and learn how technology and computer science can be used for good to create solutions to address issues impacting youth in our region, such as cyberbullying and a good digital citizenship. Code Heroes - Learn to Code, Change the World with The Digital Arts Experience and AT&T will also connect students with team-based coding projects designed to make a difference in their schools and their community, while providing them with hands-on experience developing their own technology. Students will address the impacts of cyberbullying and design a choose your own adventure game that presents a variety of different cyberbullying scenarios. Each group of students will be tasked to brainstorm and storyboard their scenarios, create custom graphics using Photoshop, and code their games using Scratch.

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To ensure inclusion and diversity, all participants in the program will be underrepresented students and to eliminate economic barriers, the program is free and lunch is provided. Participants will not need a computer to take part, all technologies, including computers, will be provided to each student for the duration of the program. To register, students and their parents must visit code-heroes.thedae.com and fill out the application form.

The program is open to underserved middle school students from all school districts across the Lower Hudson region and no previous coding experience is required, but there is an application process all applicants must fulfill.  The deadline to apply is July 17.  All applicants will be notified regarding acceptance by July 19, 2019.

The Digital Arts Experience is Westchester's original, homegrown tech learning center for STEM/STEAM education. Pushing far beyond the acronyms and buzzwords, their talented and unique instructors, coupled with a hands-on, project-based learning approach are what differentiate them from other STEM programs. They've taught thousands of kids from all over Westchester and Fairfield counties since they opened in 2012. The class catalog includes coding/programming, game design, 3D printing and modeling, graphic design, YouTube video production, 2D and 3D animation, virtual reality development, robotics, and more.

Coding is quickly becoming the new literacy and is the driver of all new digital technology. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor, much of the growth in the domestic and global economy will come from STEM-related jobs – a highly lucrative and competitive field. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs with more than half made up of computer and coding careers, underscoring the importance of providing the youth the tools and skills necessary to compete in this innovation economy. These statistics emphasize the importance of providing youth education programing like the Code Heroes - Learn to Code, Change the World with The Digital Arts Experience and AT&T.

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"AT&T is proud to collaborate with The Digital Arts Experience to develop and support this innovative experience for local students as it further enhances our commitment to providing resources for STEM-related educational programming throughout the Hudson Valley and across the State," said Amy Kramer, president, New York, AT&T. "Our economy continues to transform at a robust pace – requiring a workforce with a focus on technological education and literacy – and computer science programs like this one are vital to ensure that the students are equipped to compete in the global innovation economy of tomorrow."

"Since our inception, the DAE has been focused on supporting and collaborating with our community. Over the past 7 years we've provided high quality STEM education to kids and teens all over Westchester through partners like Westchester Library System, White Plains Youth Bureau, Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle, and others," says Digital Arts Experience Founder & President, Rob Kissner. "Knowing how to code is the literacy of the future, and at The DAE we believe that literacy should be accessible to all kids regardless of where they grow up. AT&T's shared commitment to the community has enabled us to provide thirty kids with an awesome opportunity."

AT&T's support for this program is part of the company's legacy of supporting educational programs focused on STEM disciplines in New York through AT&T Aspire, the company's signature $500 million philanthropic initiative that drives innovation in education by bringing diverse resources to bear on the issue including funding, technology, programming, employee volunteerism and mentoring. Aspire is one of the nation's largest corporate commitments focused on school success and workforce readiness by creating new learning environments and educational delivery systems to help students succeed and prepare them to take on 21st century careers.

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About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T

AT&T is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Through its community initiatives, AT&T has a long history of investing in projects that create learning opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address community needs. The Company's signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, drives innovation in education to promote student success in school and beyond. With a financial commitment of $500million since 2008, AT&T is leveraging technology, relationships and social innovation to help all students make their biggest dreams a reality.