WHILE many of the residents of LIC head for the beaches, lakes, mountains, and foreign destinations in the summer, there is a select group of kids staying in town and working hard to attain the knowledge that will give them a leg up later in life. More specifically, 4th and 5th-grade girls in Long Island City are mastering robotics, coding sensors, and tackling the “Grandma Challenge” this July.
In a local partnership between nonprofit The Community Bots and Growing Up Green Charter School – Elementary (GUG ES) on 28th Street in LIC, hands-on robotics are being introduced to these girls to bridge the STEM resource and gender gap before middle school. The program starts with basic coding and transitions to building and programming physical LEGO robots using donated kits and software.
The Community Bots was founded by Ana Agón and Jack Cooley, former NYC private school STEM educators who witnessed how robotics built confidence, resilience, and creativity — and set out to bring those same resources to public charter schools. It seems to be working as 80% of participants express a strong desire to continue learning robotics, coding, or computer science.
Want in? Local businesses and corporations can get involved through grant funding, donating refurbished laptops/equipment, or providing 1:1 mentorship from female tech professionals. Check out the link below where you can also follow future student cohorts and support local STEM expansion… while you’re ‘summering.’
The Community Bots – pretty cool website, check it out!
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