By Mark Ambrogi
Verizon is lending a nice assist to the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville.
A Verizon grant will allow the club to conduct the My.Future program, the Boys & Girls Club of America’s digital literacy and education technology program. The program, which provides foundational technology skills, is designed and geared toward all the club’s members.
“This grant gives us a great opportunity to use a medium that most of our members connect incredibly well with,” said Mike Obremski, the club’s program director. “We’re very excited to be able to give our members a chance to learn about technology and use our equipment to hopefully find something they love to do and can use towards building their future.”
Abby Rinehart, unit director for the Boys & Girls of Noblesville, said the grant assists with the staff costs to run the program.
“It’s so important that we have our staff in there that are well trained as they prepare to instruct the program on the activities within the My.Future program,” Rinehart said. “The grant allows us to have our staff here longer and to be able to dedicate more time and effort to this program.”
The My.Future Program includes programs like Robo Tech, Game Tech and Clay Tech. There is also a portion of the program called Internet Essentials.
“The staff will guide the members into what areas best suit them,” Rinehart said. “When the members complete an area, they earn a (digital) badge. So it’s incentive-based. The entire theme for the Internet Essentials (program) is building, exploring and communicating. It shows an opportunity that technology can provide them. It’s just about searching the Internet, anyone can do that.”
Rinehart said BGCA created the program so it can show youth other arenas of technology.
“It meets them at all ability levels,” she said. “If they are a young child or beginner, there are activities for them. Then they progress through (into) immediate or advanced.”
To learn more about the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville, visit bgcni.org.
