Inspiring youth to become our next, best Minnesota-grown technology talent

  Helping K-12 students discover, explore and engage in the world of information technology (IT)

Developing and nurturing IT talent does not begin with a college internship. It begins when technology curiosity and commitment is given the chance to flourish through experimentation, teaming up with peers to learn new computing skills, and engaging with technology professionals who love what they do.  The IT Discovery Network consists of a fast-growing mixture of ‘tech experience’ providers who offer K-12 students, parents, and teachers a wide array of choices to explore and do more. The goal is to support students and give them resources to make informed decisions about their future learning and career options.

IT is it!  Discover why Tech is fun, rewarding, dynamic, creative, challenging and very cool.  

Abamath

Twin Cities, Grades 3-6
We do for coding what little league does for baseball. We run epic robotics and coding classes through partnerships with community education programs in Minnesota with all of the excitement of a sport.

BDPA 

A not-for-profit all volunteer organization focused on technology professional development for students of color in grades 8 – 12.

Twin Cities & Rochester Area

• Summer Youth Technology Camp (grades 8-12) – exploratory program to inspire students to pursue additional training in STEM-related education or careers.
• D.R.I.V.E./IT Exploration Camp (grades 11-12) – students are exposed to industry advanced and emerging technologies.  This is a week-long camp hosted by Winona State University.
• HSTP coding courses. High School Computer Technology Program (grades 8-12) students learn HTML/CSS, JavaScript, MySQL and either Java, PhP or C# software development languages.
• HSCC Competition.  High School Computer Competition (grades 10-12) five (5) of the top students are selected to represent their chapter at the BDPA National HSCC competition.
• IT Showcase Competition – (high school & college [non-coding]).  Virtual mentor supervised, mini-PhD research topic driven project focused on a technology or other STEM-based topic of their choice.
• IT Mobile Application Competition (Java skills required – all ages).  Virtual courses and coding in Java showcasing their creativity and talent on iOS or Android platforms.

MN State IT Center of Excellence

Coder Dojo

Various locations
Free, mentored coding environment and events for youth.

Best Buy Teen Tech Center

Twin Cities, ages 12-19
A space for teens to use new technologies with help from other teens and adult mentors, and then share their work with other teens across the globe through the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network. Technology and multimedia tools are available for music and video production, interactive programming, digital photography, graphic design, and much more.

Code Savvy 

Twin Cities
A not-for-profit organization inspiring kids and teens to become code-savvy.

• Code Camps — Wide variety of summer programming for youth ages 6-17.
• Technovation Challenge –Young women ages 12-18 design and code mobile apps as they participate in this global coding and entrepreneurial challenge + the festive Appapalooza
• Code Clubs — Partners with community sites in low opportunity neighborhoods to teach kids to code in after school programs.
• MN Coding in the Classroom Leadership Cohort— K-8 teachers and after school educators explore integrating coding into the curriculum and develop skill in coding and creative problem solving through hands-on workshops.
• Learn to Code— online resources for beginning coders.
• Get With the Program— Designed to develop coding awareness, skills and resources among K-12 and after school educators through hands on workshops, conferences, and mentoring.

DigiGirlz

Twin Cities & online, Grades 9-12
DigiGirlz, a Microsoft YouthSpark program, gives high school girls the opportunity to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops.

• High Tech Camps
• Digigirlz Day
• On-line classes

Digital Empowerment Academy

Twin Cities, priority to North Minneapolis students, ages 13-17
The Digital Empowerment Academy is a digital literacy, civic technology initiative that works to enable youth to become savvy creators of digital content.

getSTEM

Educators and professionals connect and build relationships to help Minnesota students excel in the classroom through classroom visits, equipment donations, and professional development opportunities.

Genesys Works

Twin Cities, Grade 12/seniors in partner high schools
Genesys Works changes the life trajectory of underprivileged high school students by enabling them to work in meaningful internships, at major corporations, during their senior year in high school. After an eight-week intensive training program, students work at one of our client companies to discover that they can indeed succeed as professionals in the corporate world.

High Tech Kids

Statewide
3 STEM robotic programs:

• MN FIRST LEGO League Junior (students kindergarten through 3rd grade) — 3-10 students program a LEGO Mindstorms robot to solve a mission.
• MN FIRST LEGO League (students 4th though 8th grade)
• MN FIRST Tech League (students 7th through 12th grade)

*Scholarship grants are available

Leonardo’s Basement

Minneapolis, ages 6-99
Leonardo’s Basement is a one-of-a-kind creative learning environment for “kids” of all ages to design and build from their imagination. Sign up for classes, offer birthday parties, etc.

Mad Science of Minnesota

Twin Cities, ages pre-K to high school
Provide hands-on science experiments for children to be as entertaining as it is educational.

MHTA

MHTA and the sister MHTA Foundation are actively involved in developing and promoting STEM education to MN students and their families.  Programs include Tech Experience Tours for middle and highschool students, undergraduate internships, and scholarships

Minnesota Computers for Schools (MCFS)

Minneapolis & St Paul, ages 14-adult

MCFS works with schools and nonprofits to teach computer literacy and skills training to students of all ages.  Our free CORE: IT classes take place in the community and provide students with the technology skills, certifications and opportunities to succeed in school and pursue internships, employment, and further education.

Minnesota STEM Partnership

A “Kindergarten to Career” not-for-profit volunteer organization focused on helping students and their families navigate the many Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education opportunities within the Twin Cities and across greater Minnesota. We collaborate with other organizations to help students (and their family) navigate the multitude of organizations and activities available as well as create any STEM-based clubs where strategic gaps exist.

Initial geographic focus: Inner-beltway Twin Cities (Interstate 494 – 694 corridor)
•Sponsor five (5) robotics teams. Provide resources to leverage FIRST LEGO League resources that will expand their confidence and ability to gain the core values and experiences necessary to enter the global technology arena.
•Establish a mini-drone racing league that allows students to explore the basic principles of aviation and aeronautics in a fun and exciting way! These activities establish a baseline for emerging industry workforce requirements utilizing certified drone pilots (construction, entertainment, agriculture, etc.).
•We recruit students for all programs that benefit students of color.
•We are affiliated, collaborate or partner with all Minnesota State IT Discovery Network partner organizations as well as many leading STEM organizations of color such as BDPA, NSBE, BiT, INROADS, etc. This provides an opportunity to create a stable pathway towards success and professional development.
•We enable a variety of summer technology and engineering experiences such as the Minnesota State IT Center of Excellence’s BDPA IT Exploration weeklong residency camp in Winona as well as the three (3) week NSBE SEEK camp.
•Wherever there is a STEM opportunity we help get them there!

Reve Academy

Minneapolis, Grades 5-12
To help students dream with direction by providing pathways to digital careers.
Core programs:

• Reve Edu – basic web design elements
• Reve Dev – business skills
• Reve Retail – digital marketing skills

STEM FUSE

Online, Grades K-12
Play, build, and learn Game Development! Play fun, app-friendly games and earn badges to be the best. Build a drag-and-drop math-centered baseball game. Learn the basic concepts of Game Development and STEM theory.

STEP-UP Achieve

Minneapolis residents, ages 16-21

Connects youth with paid internships at top Minneapolis / St Paul employers and provides several enrichment events that further build  interns skills in the tech and engineering fields.

TWIST EPIC Awards

Twin Cities, for females in grades 8-12

Our world is better when all voices are included in STEM. EPIC Awards honor young women in the Twin Cities area for their dedication to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Twenty-five students will be selected and invited to an award ceremony with up to three guests at Target Headquarters, in downtown Minneapolis.

The award application period typically occurs early April through late September.

The Works

Twin Cities, ages pre-K to adult
Museum, summer camps and other activities to make engineering fun with hands-on activities, real tools, and everyday materials!

Additional Resources for Girls