YouthQuest joined Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy to teach fatherless teens about opportunities in 3D printing at Steve Harvey’s mentoring camp this month.
The presentation on Father’s Day weekend was part of a five-day event that drew more than 200 young men from across the country to The Rock Ranch in The Rock, Georgia. Activities included sessions on STEM programs, career development and motivation.
YouthQuest Foundation Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann made opening remarks and showed a video about the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, which teaches at-risk youth life skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving and perseverance while introducing them to 3D design and printing.
Keith Hammond, lead 3D ThinkLink instructor at CGYCA, followed up with a presentation about some of the many uses for 3D printing technology and a brief demonstration of the design software 3D ThinkLink students learn. Nearly 100 Capital Guardian cadets have completed YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink training since 2013.
Raynald Blackwell, director of the District of Columbia’s Youth ChalleNGe Program, also spoke to encourage the young men to consider career paths in science, technology, engineering and math that require 3D skills.
Afterward, teens crowded around a display table to see a printer in action, handle 3D-printed objects and ask questions.
Mentoring camp staffers were pleased. Several told Hammond it was the most interactive and interesting of all the presentations that day.
The Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men, Capital Guardian and YouthQuest share the goal of helping young people recognize their potential and prepare to be successful adults through education and life-enriching experiences.
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