Oakridge Studio - A Teen Tech Center at Mainframe

Project Description

Never underestimate the difference you can make in the lives of others. Oakridge Neighborhood is partnering with Best Buy Foundation to open Iowa’s only Best Buy Teen Tech Center in January of 2024. The Teen Tech Center is a unique learning space serving as a foundation for building community and self-discovery which enables youth to creatively discover, experiment and explore. With your investment in the Teen Tech Center teens will develop a foundation for school and career success, dreams will be unlocked, and enriched futures will be realized. The Tech Center learning model was developed by The Clubhouse Network through a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. It is a distinctive and engaging model guiding everything from the programming to the design of the physical space. The model focuses on four key tenants: 1. Projects: Encouraging young makers and doers to imagine, create, and iterate 2. Passions: Providing opportunity for teens to work on projects that they care deeply about 3. Peers: Fostering creativity through collaborative, peer-to-peer learning 4. Play: Supporting risk-taking and celebrating failure as part of the process This learning approach invites youth to step outside their comfort zones, figure out what may or may not work, and celebrate learnings that come from trial and error. The approach grounds itself in the fields of education, developmental and school psychology, cognitive science, and youth development. It builds on research around the role of motivation in the learning process and the value of social interactions .