Our friends at New Orleans Tech, the blog highlighting the vibrant tech community in New Orleans, are launching the first annual Teen Tech Day on April 9, 2011 at 3400 Tulane Avenue, Suite 1000, New Orleans, LA 70119.
Teen Tech Day is a one day event tailored toward youth in the New Orleans, exposing them to technologies such as web design, programming, photography, podcasting, videography, and game development. The goal is to take twenty-five teenagers between the ages of 14 – 17 and get them excited about technology as a hobby, passion, or even a career.
We sat down with co-founder Chris Boudy and member Shercole King, to ask them a few questions:
SBN: Why did you decide to put this event on?
NOTech: The team at New Orleans Tech wanted to provide more than just news, we wanted to provide resources and make a difference in New Orleans. We understand that one of the most important pieces to the puzzle in creating a better New Orleans is the kids. We must take the time to begin giving kids resources and choices and chances to get passionate about different areas. We love technology and it took someone or some program that helped ignite technology for us. We want to help give kids opportunities they may not have known was available.
SBN: Personally, what are you hoping to accomplish and what impact do you want to have?
NOTech: We believe in small action creating huge impact. With Teen Tech Day we hope to bring more kids into the technology field. We just want to create options and knowledge to students. These are students who already like technology, we hope to help turn this like into passion and thirst for more knowledge to eventually lead them into a technological field and possibly become a leader in our growing technology industry in Louisiana.
SBN: How big is this going to be?
NOTech: For our first year program is open to 25 students, although we plan to expand each year.
SBN: anything else you want to add?
NOTech: Just this: invest in kids, these are the individuals who actually grew up in technology. Invest in them and their future.
Thanks Shercole and Chris! Teen Tech Day is COMPLETELY FREE for kids, so please DONATE to help support the program! You can find our more here.