The YouthQuest Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2005 and based in Chantilly, Virginia, that provides academic and vocational opportunities, and life-enriching experiences, for America’s at-risk youth. The foundation’s signature STEAM education project is the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, which uses instruction in 3D design and printing as a vehicle to teach at-risk youth critical thinking and problem-solving skills, encourage creativity and boost their self-confidence.
“Teacher training was especially significant this time,” said YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks. “The cross-pollination of project ideas from the five different sites using our 3D ThinkLink curriculum was very helpful to our new teachers and rejuvenating to our experienced teachers.”
Germaine Rasberry and Ikeya Robinson set up a 3D printer
The group was evenly split between first-timers and veterans. We were especially pleased to welcome Germaine Rasberry and Ikeya Robinson from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which is reactivating its 3D ThinkLink classes after a hiatus last year. The other newcomers were Nicole Atchley and Maxine Brown-Davis from Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, Ellen Brigham from the PHILLIPS School in Fairfax, Virginia, and Hugo Duran from the PHILLIPS School in Annandale.
The returning teachers who brought their experience and insights to the training sessions were Jonathon Brown and Jamarr Dennis from Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, CGYCA’s La-Toya Hamilton and Keith Hammond, and Jim Fields and Joseph Phillips from the PHILLIPS schools.
Much of the training time was devoted to reviewing our curriculum, which is built around an innovative noun/verb approach to teaching Moment of Inspiration, a professional-level CAD (computer-aided design) program. This method makes it easy for students to understand 3D design concepts in much the same way that they learn language.
Tom Meeks reviews 3D ThinkLink curriculum updates with teachers
Each lesson introduces a “noun” – a 2D object such as a circle or rectangle – and a “verb” – an action in the CAD software that turns the noun into a 3D object like a pipe or box. The more nouns and verbs the students learn, the more complex their 3D creations can be.
Along with mastering Moment of Inspiration, our teachers must be able to operate 3D printers so students can transform their ideas into tangible objects. It’s essential for them to see how their designs turn out, evaluate problems, make improvements and print again until they’re satisfied.
This is how we teach at-risk kids not to fear mistakes, but to see them as a natural part of the learning process. To do that effectively, we need 3D printers that are simple, fast and reliable, so students don’t get bogged down waiting to see results. That’s why we work to keep up with the latest hardware innovations and find the printers that best meet the needs of our students and teachers.
We are in the process of transitioning from the 3D Systems Cube printers we used the launch our program five years ago to newer, more versatile machines.
The teachers spent a full day working with PowerSpec printers. After setting up and calibrating the machines, they ran test prints and learned common troubleshooting techniques. At the end of training, we gave a PowerSpec i3 Plus printer to each of our five class sites for evaluation.
Lynda Mann gathers ideas about selecting students
The final day of training included a “teachers teach teachers” session. The experienced instructors demonstrated some of the benchmark projects such as cookie cutters and personalized keychain tags that students must complete periodically to show that they understand the nouns and verbs they’ve covered so far. As they go deeper into the curriculum, the projects become more complex.
Besides sessions about the nuts and bolts of 3D design and printing, there was plenty of lively discussion about the best ways to serve the at-risk kids in our classes. It was an opportunity for the teachers to get to know each other and to understand the various needs and strengths of the students. They learned what’s unique about each partner program, as well as what they have in common.
YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann led discussions about best practices for selecting students for 3D classes, and ways to improve our program and meet the needs of our partner schools. The teachers gave valuable feedback about what’s going well in their classes and what needs improvement.
The February training sessions laid the foundation for what promises to be the best year ever for our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. The teachers returned to their schools energized and ready to apply what they learned in our lab.
Most important, this was a chance to remind everyone – whether they’ve been working with us for years or are just starting – that the real purpose of our program goes far beyond teaching 3D printing. It’s all about using the technology as a vehicle to develop the essential life skills at-risk youth lack. In the process of mastering the CAD software and printers, our students learn that their failures are not final and they can accomplish more than they ever imagined.
One of the many highlights of 2017 for our foundation was being nominated as Public Service Innovator of the Year by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce for our 3D ThinkLink Initiative in March. The months that followed were filled with examples of our program’s value in building better lives for at-risk youth.
“Our innovation is not that we introduce kids to 3D design and printing, it’s how we use this technology as a vehicle to teach the important life skills at-risk youth lack, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and the confidence to fail,” said YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann. “3D printing is perfectly suited for showing kids who’ve failed in school that mistakes are part of the learning process – that they are the beginning of something good, not the end of something bad.”
Greater Washington Innovation Awards Showcase in March
Being a Greater Washington Innovation Awards nominee gave us the opportunity to tell regional leaders about YouthQuest’s life-changing work with young people like Aunya’ Jones, a top student in our 3D ThinkLink class at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.
“Before 3D printing, I did not believe in myself, and I had accepted the opinion that I was not good enough,” Aunya’ wrote in an essay that earned her a $500 YouthQuest scholarship to continue her education.
“3D printing has helped guide me into making better decisions and gave me a new life skill along the way. It has really helped me understand my self-worth because now I know I can design my own future,” she explained. “I now see the bigger picture to my life’s problems and I’m not afraid to face them.”
In his essay, LaMarcus described how the 3D ThinkLink experience changed his way of thinking. He said it helped him control his anger and improve his concentration.
“When I come to class, my whole mood changes,” LaMarcus wrote. “I become happy because I know that I’m in a good place.”
LaMarcus also said our class brought out the creativity he used to keep “all bottled in” and taught him how to “think about stuff differently.”
A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT
Aunya’ and LaMarcus are also two of the ChalleNGe Cadets who took part advanced training this year in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia.
Advanced Training in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab in June
The June lab sessions focused on our project to train 3D ThinkLink graduates as Youth Mentors, giving them the skills and equipment to teach others about 3D printing and serve as positive role models in their communities. LaMarcus was there along with fellow Capital Guardian Cadet Adrian Vasquez, and David Kelly and Stephen Brown from Freestate.
Adrian told us during lab week that he used to have problems in school and our class helped get him back on track.
“I would get good grades, but my mind would always be on something else. So I got caught up with stuff I wasn’t supposed to be around. But ever since I started 3D, my mind has been nowhere near that stuff,” he said. “It’s like therapy, a type of therapy. Working on 3D designs keeps me focused, not on the other nonsense stuff.”
In December, we tried something different by taking our advanced training out of our lab and into the classroom at Camp Schwartz on the Capital Guardian campus. Cadets Keyonte Alston, Quadaija Hudgens and Alexander Price honed their design and printing skills during three days of training. A couple of weeks later, they graduated from Capital Guardian along with four other Cadets who completed our 3D ThinkLink class; Divine Carr, Markus Kemp, Keith Pettiford, and Herman Signou.
Throughout 2017, we repeatedly saw proof that what works for the teens in ChalleNGe academies also works for at-risk kids in other kinds of programs we serve.
PHILLIPS students and teachers explore the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab
The PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families has seen great success tailoring our curriculum for students on the autism spectrum. PHILLIPS was so pleased with the results of last year’s 3D ThinkLink pilot project at its Annandale, Virginia, school that it expanded the class to its Fairfax campus this year. Some of the students from last year’s class are now involved in a 3D printing club at the Annandale campus, too. It was a pleasure to have PHILLIPS students visit our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab in April.
It’s also been gratifying to watch the growth of our partnership with Horizons Hampton Roads, an academic, cultural, and recreational program for kids from low-income families in Virginia’s Tidewater area. We started with last year’s Summer Enrichment Program, providing a 3D ThinkLink class for sixth-graders at a single site in Portsmouth. This summer, the project expanded to sites in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, reaching a total of 32 kids. The students were “engaged and challenged” by our curriculum, according to the annual report from Horizons Hampton Roads, and teachers were excited to try some new projects they’d developed that used 3D design and printing to support STEM lessons, such as creating a paddlewheel for a ferryboat.
“The 3D printing was a great experience,” HHR teacher Franklin Baker reported. “From the design portion to troubleshooting, our students had to problem-solve from the first step to the last.”
Highly skilled, enthusiastic teachers are the key to our program’s success. That’s why our teacher training sessions are so important. Teachers from several partner programs came to our lab for a week in February and October this year to learn about curriculum changes, software updates, and new printers and materials.
“We want to give them the best tools and motivate them to learn how to use those tools so they can be the best teachers for the at-risk students we serve,” explained YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks.
A YEAR OF GIVING
Giving back to the community is one of YouthQuest’s core values.
One of the ways our organization gives back locally is by sponsoring the annual Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition. This was the sixth straight year we’ve provided the prize money for the contest, which challenges teens in Loudoun County, Virginia, to identify problems in their community and implement solutions.
Top 10 teams in the 2017 Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition
Kriti Ganotra from Broad Run High School earned the $1,000 top prize this year for developing a free device that detects computer network vulnerabilities.
“I want to bring it to Loudoun County, using high schoolers to create a community where everyone is educated about cyber-bullying, cyber-security, cyber-threats and technology,” Kriti said in an interview with Loudoun Youth. “I want to bring this to every single house and eventually patent this into something that we can develop all around the nation.”
YouthQuest supporters also gave back generously this year to make our 12th annual golf tournament a success. Even though it rained for the first time in the history of our signature fundraising event, more than 100 players and volunteers turned out at Trump National Golf Club on August 7.
We were especially pleased to welcome Insperity, Pure Storage and ePlus as new sponsors this year.
For the first time, the winning team received 3D-printed trophies that were designed and produced in our lab by Tom Meeks.
YouthQuest Co-Founder Allen Cage putts at the golf tournament in August
The tournament’s Silent Auction raised more money than ever and we collected an additional $2,500 through a new fundraising tool, the Giving Tree. The tree displayed at the post-tournament reception and the August 3 VIP Reception hosted by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons was decorated with tags that were 3D printed in our lab. Each tag gave donors an easy way to provide equipment, supplies and other resources for our 3D ThinkLink students.
Also at the reception, we presented our 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award to Tammy Haug, National Sales Manager for AOC Solutions. Not only does Tammy volunteer at the golf tournament every year, she assisted us with our 10th Anniversary Celebration in Chantilly and the 3D printing workshops we conducted at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Anaheim, California, in 2015.
Our 2017 Community Partner Award went to Copy General in Sterling, Virginia, whose constant support for YouthQuest includes printing the program for the golf tournament every year. IMADE3D won the Strategic Partner Award. We’ve worked with IMADE3D since 2015 and are big fans of their JellyBox 3D printer kit. We have several of the printers in our lab and our advanced students always enjoy building and using them.
Volunteers in the clubhouse at the golf tournament in August
Our donors also gave generously on November 28, when we participated for the second year in #GivingTuesday, a global celebration of philanthropy. We also became part of AmazonSmile this year, giving Amazon users the ability to select YouthQuest as their charity. For every purchase they make, the AmazonSmile Foundation makes a donation to us.
2018 promises to be another year filled with innovations and expansion for us. We’re eager to start the next round of teacher training in February, as that will be a major step toward reactivating our 3D ThinkLink program at South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which has been on hiatus for a year. In previous years, SCYCA has been our largest 3D class site.
We are also working toward opening the 3D ThinkLInk Creativity Lab for use by the general public and we’re planning a new fundraiser that we expect will be quite lucrative for us as well as for one lucky raffle winner. Stay tuned for details in the new year.
There’s no need to wait to help us, though. We welcome contributions at any time of the year. Please click here or contact Operations Manager Juan Louro at juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org or 703-234-4633.
It’s always exciting to take our 3D ThinkLink students beyond their classrooms and show them some of the many ways they can use the CAD (computer-aided design) and 3D printing skills they’re learning.
A Capital Guardian Cadet looks at 3D-printed objects at the University of Maryland’s Terrapin Works
Terrapin Works encompasses a collection of digital design and production resources located throughout the College Park campus. The equipment ranges from consumer-grade 3D printers like the ones our students use in class to highly sophisticated, specialized systems that can print objects using all sorts of materials such as plastics, metal, ceramics and even living cells.
The University of Maryland tour included a stop at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory, where 3D printing helps scientists develop materials that can be implanted in the body. The lab has hosted Vocational Orientation events for us since 2014 and our students are always fascinated to learn how researchers combine life sciences and engineering to create things like bone and blood vessel replacements.
After a busy morning in College Park, the Cadets headed north to Baltimore to spend the afternoon at The Foundery, an industrial makerspace that’s another favorite Vocational Orientation destination.
Cadets watch a computer-controlled machine cut steel with a high-pressure water jet at The Foundery
At The Foundery, our students see how their knowledge of CAD software gives them opportunities to work in traditional subtractive manufacturing fields as well as the new realm of additive manufacturing. Whether they’re working with a desktop 3D printer, a laser engraver or a giant industrial cutting machine, it all comes down to giving a computer-controlled device the instructions needed to make the object you want.
Even more important for our students than learning about the various machines they saw during Vocational Orientation was meeting the people who use those machines to turn ideas into reality. It was gratifying to watch the personal interaction between the Cadets and the staff members at UMD and The Foundery.
These tours are intended to open the eyes of at-risk teens whose view of career opportunities is often quite limited. By exposing them to new ideas and experiences, we encourage them to see themselves going on to do things they didn’t think were possible. Whatever their goals may be, the thinking skills our 3D ThinkLink Initiative teaches will help our students achieve them.
“We want to give them the best tools and motivate them to learn how to use those tools so they can be the best teachers for the at-risk students we serve,” explained YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks.
“I’m always happy when I come out here,” said Keith, who’s been a 3D ThinkLink teacher from the beginning in 2013, when we launched our project to use 3D printing as a vehicle for teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills to at-risk youth.
Teachers learn about the M3D Micro
He praised the individual attention Tom provided during the training sessions, which included an introduction to new equipment such as the M3D Micro printer. The Micro is more versatile than the 3D Systems Cube printers we’ve used in classrooms for years and gives teachers more control over printing options.
Tom and the teachers also reviewed the new structure of the 3D ThinkLink curriculum. Based on the results from previous class cycles, we’ve reorganized the curriculum into blocks of four to five lessons, each of which which culminates with a benchmark project that involves all the skills students should have mastered by that point.
Jamarr, who’s in his second class cycle of 3D ThinkLink teaching, thinks the new structure will help his students at Freestate stay on pace from week to week. He said the benchmark projects should show him if students have missed something important before they move ahead in the curriculum.
Tom Meeks introduces Moment of Inspiration 3D design software to Freestate’s Jonathan Brown
Jonathan, our newest 3D ThinkLink teacher at Freestate, was hesitant to get involved in the project at first because he wasn’t sure he could devote the time and effort it takes to learn about the software and hardware. But when he spent a week in our lab as a chaperone for two Freestate Cadets who completed advanced training this summer, he was convinced.
“When I saw how quick the kids grasped it and how much fun they had with it, I said I’m absolutely coming back,” Jonathan recalled.
As soon as a teaching position opened up, he volunteered. Within weeks, Jonathan was back in our lab working closely with Tom to become a 3D ThinkLink teacher.
“I’m here early every day because I’m looking forward to what we’re going to pick up today. And Tom has matched all of my intensity,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to be creative and seeing where my mind takes it.”
Tom will travel to the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Eastover next week to provide training for new teachers.
The YouthQuest Foundation has awarded scholarships to two students who recently completed our 3D ThinkLink training.
Asia Baker-Stevenson from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy and LaMarcus Corley from Washington DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy earned $500 each for the essays they wrote about the personal impact of their 3D ThinkLink experience.
YouthQuest provides instruction in 3D design and printing at the ChalleNGe academies to help Cadets develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, explore their creativity and gain self-confidence.
LaMarcus and Asia finished the 22-week residential phase of the ChalleNGe program in June and are now in the year-long post-residential phase, during which they work with an adult mentor to continue on the path to reach their potential as successful adults. The scholarship money is to be used for continued education or vocational training.
“Before I started 3D printing I was very insecure about myself. I thought I would never be good at anything,” Asia said in her essay, adding that she struggled with using the computer and design software at first. But she learned from her mistakes and persevered, making step-by-step improvements with each new project.
“I’ve learned that starting something new is for a purpose and that purpose is to never give up or quit on yourself,” she wrote. “I may not be able to complete things on my own, but I shouldn’t be afraid of failure.”
LaMarcus Corley in our lab for Youth Mentor training
Like Asia, LaMarcus discovered that 3D ThinkLink changed his way of thinking. He said it helped him control his anger and improve his concentration.
“When I come to class, my whole mood changes,” LaMarcus explained. “I become happy because I know that I’m in a good place.”
LaMarcus also said in his essay that if he had a 3D printer of his own, he would start a business to make things like toys and parts for bikes and cars.
“The reason I would create these objects is because I know people are less fortune than others and it would let me give back to the community,” he wrote.
Now LaMarcus has the opportunity to give back by being a Youth Mentor. In June, he and three other top Cadets from Freestate and Capital Guardian trained for a week in our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab. They received 3D printers, design software and laptops to use in sharing their skills with others in their community, serving as positive role models.
New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap, best known for his Jonathan Grave thriller series, reads all the essays submitted and picks the winners in our semi-annual scholarship competition.
These students from the 2017 spring class cycle earned $500 scholarships for these essays about their 3D ThinkLink experience.
By Asia Baker-Stevenson
Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
The YouthQuest 3D printing program has transformed my way of thinking and my way of life in many different ways. Before I started 3D printing I was very insecure about myself. I thought I would never be good at anything. I’ve always believed that I would be a failure in life and that I would never be able to make my mom smile. When I signed up for 3D printing I thought my creativity would never be able to process. But once I started trying and putting my mind towards it, I realized that 3D printing helps society look so much easier. I didn’t know that I would be able to make a house, car, a necklace, and my name from the use of a 3D printer.
The students from the University of Maryland help out the economy by reconstructing cells with the usage of 3D printing. I’ve learned that there are more things in 3D printing than just shapes and colors. I’ve learned that you can use a 3D printing to reconstruct bones, and cells in a biochemistry lab. They used a 3D printer in order to show others the size of a 3 month old’s heart, with the use of an incubator they were able to disinfect and prevent bacteria from forming on new-born cells.
While being at The Foundery I was able to see a blacksmith make a spear while using nothing but fire and a sledgehammer. I also saw a 3D printer that prints with the usage of lasers which to me was amazing.
When I first signed up for 3D printing I didn’t believe that I would be able to create a successful design. Everything to me seemed to be impossible. I struggled to work on the computer. The very first design I made was my name because I felt as though my design wasn’t worthy enough to be put out into the real world. I became frustrated with myself I wanted to give up because my peers’ designs looked better than mine. The outcome of my first design encouraged me to keep going and to move on to create bigger and better things that will later help people out in life.
Joining 3D printing has taught me to always achieve bigger and better things. It has also taught me to never give up on anything because the simplest mistake that I make could turn out to make my project much better. While being in 3D printing I’ve learned that starting something new is for a purpose and that purpose is to never give up or quit on yourself. I may not be able to complete things on my own but I shouldn’t be afraid of failure.
_________________________________________
By LaMarcus Corley
Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
I signed up for 3D printing and I did not get accepted the first time. I was very upset. I then talked to my case manager and she found a way to enter me into the class. My first day of 3D-printing was cool I learned a lot that I never knew before using a 3D printer. After my first day I decided that this was something that I would like to do because I am a creative person that likes to use my mind.
Now that I have more experience in the class and I know all the commands by heart for example, extrude means you can extend in the Z direction or be set to taper or follow a path. You can extrude an open or closed object to create 3D surface or solid. In my class, I learned how to make a clock, keychain, bookmark, ring, and a puzzle. I also made a clock for the Commanding General Walker. I also know how to change the filament on a 3D printer, load the cartridge, and level the print pad with the 3D plate attached to it.
If I had a 3D printer, I would start a business. I would create a toy company to be exact. I would create toys, fidget toys, parts for cars, and parts for bikes. The reason I would create these objects is because I know people are less fortune than others and it would let me give back to the community. My company would also be non-profit. All the money would come from my saved earnings. I would also create items for my family, and friends to show my knowledge of 3D printing and for myself.
3D printing has changed my life in many ways. It has helped me control my anger. It has also helped me control my ADHD. When I come to class my whole mood changes, I become happy because I know that I’m in a good place.
Even though it rained for the first time in the event’s 12-year history, more than 100 players and volunteers turned out for our annual fundraiser on August 7.
YouthQuest Co-Founder Allen Cage putts
Washington Redskins alumni and first responders from Loudoun County, Virginia, were among the VIP guests who joined two dozen teams on the links at Trump National Golf Club’s Championship Course, which was the site of the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year.
“We were pleased to welcome three new sponsors this year; Insperity, Pure Storage and ePlus,” said YouthQuest Foundation Board Secretary and Tournament Committee Chairman Bill Hall.
Returning sponsors were AOC Solutions, 3Delta Systems, FEDAC Processing, Insurance Associates, the Poole Foundation, PNC, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Jones Lang LaSalle, Ritzert & Leyton PC, CrossFit PR Star, Experis Technology Group, AC Properties and Valley Forge Acquisition Corporation.
The tournament’s Silent Auction raised more money than ever and we collected an additional $2,500 through a new fundraising tool, the Giving Tree. The tree displayed at the post-tournament reception was decorated with tags that were 3D printed in our lab. Each tag gave donors an easy way to provide equipment, supplies and other resources for students in our 3D ThinkLink Initiative for at-risk youth.
Volunteer of the Year Tammy Haug (center) with volunteers Erica Stewart and Carol Schick from AOC Solutions
During the post-tournament reception, AOC Solutions National Sales Manager Tammy Haug was presented with YouthQuest’s Volunteer of the Year Award. In addition to working the golf tournament every year, she helped with our 10th Anniversary Celebration and the workshops we ran to introduce kids to 3D printing at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Anaheim, California, in 2015.
Laura d’All, general manager of Copy General’s East Coast Production Center in Sterling, Virginia, also was on hand to accept YouthQuest’s 2017 Community Partner Award. Copy General prints the golf tournament program each year and has made many generous contributions to advance our programs that serve America’s at-risk youth.
Supporters also gathered at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons Corner on August 3 for our annual VIP Reception, where we showcased our 3D ThinkLink Youth Mentor project. Guests watched a video about top graduates of our 3D design and printing classes at Maryland’s Freestate and DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academies who completed a week of training in our lab to share their skills and serve as positive role models in their communities.
IMADE3D owners Ladi Goc and his wife, Ivana Gocova, accept our Strategic Partner Award from YouthQuest Co-Founders Allen Cage and Lynda Mann
Also at the VIP Reception, we announced IMADE3D as the winner of our 2017 Strategic Partner Award. The company makes the JellyBox, a unique, easy-to-assemble 3D printer kit designed especially for education. YouthQuest and IMADE3D have worked together since 2015. Advanced 3D ThinkLink students in our lab were the first group to test-build JellyBoxes with the inventors, Ladi Goc and his son Filip Goc, observing the process. The feedback from the students helped IMADE3D perfect the design and refine the assembly instructions before putting the JellyBox on the market. Now we have several of them in our lab.
Tournament volunteers in the clubhouse
New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap was at both receptions to sign copies of Final Target, the latest book in his Jonathan Grave thriller series. John supports the 3D ThinkLink Initiative by serving as the judge in our essay contests. Twice a year, we invite ChalleNGe Academy students to write about how being in our 3D class affected them personally. The winners receive $500 scholarships to pursue higher education or vocational training.
Missing from this year’s tournament was Golf Entertainer Brad Denton, who has been part of the event for several years. Brad was injured in a serious car crash the week before the tournament, but he’s on the road to recovery now. To show our appreciation for him, tournament participants made donations to buy a $750 Tech Pack (3D printer, software and laptop), which will be given to a Youth Mentor on Brad’s behalf.
We look forward to having Brad back in action at our next tournament, scheduled for August 6, 2018.
This is an opportunity to become a key member of the team at our nonprofit organization based in Chantilly, Virginia. We are seeking a part-time staffer to run YouthQuest’s 3D printing lab.
Details of the job description are below. To submit your resume and cover letter, please contact: Juan Louro juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org
YouthQuest 3D Printing Lab Operator (Part-Time)
Organization
Founded in 2002 and recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 in 2005, The YouthQuest Foundation’s mission is to provide life-changing opportunities for America’s at-risk youth. The Foundation helps these youth fulfill their potential through academic and vocational development, infrastructure support and enrichment activities.
We do this primarily through our 3D ThinkLink Initiative, a unique education program that uses 3D design and printing to teach at-risk youth critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and to unlock their creativity.
To accomplish our mission, YouthQuest Foundation has established a design and print lab, known as the YouthQuest 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia. The primary purpose of this lab is to extend our educational goals for those at-risk populations we serve. But, it is also intended that the lab be opened to the public on a membership basis that benefits our mission financially.
The Board of Directors (BOD) is looking for an individual to fill the part-time position of 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab Operator. The Lab Operator (LO) must be a leader who is able interact well with people and possess the ability to learn the software and hardware demands of the lab environment. This environment currently includes:
Moment of Inspiration Software
3D Systems Second Generation Cube 3D Printers
3D Systems Third Generation Cube 3D Printers
3D Systems CubePro 3D Printers
JellyBox Kit Printers
M3D Micro 3D Printers
M3D Pro 3D Printers
M3D ProMega 3D Printers
ZCorp Z450 powder-bed 3D Printer
3D Scanners
Responsibilities
Reporting to the Foundation Operations Manager, the LO will manage all aspects of the 3D ThinkLink Design & Print Lab and will have the following responsibilities:
Work in partnership with the Founders, the BOD, and YouthQuest Staff
Provide operational oversight of the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab
Prepare, use and troubleshoot lab printers
Maintain laptops
Teach CAD design using current lab software
Maintain a log of facility use and regularly update materials costs
Keep the lab in an organized and orderly condition
Order and maintain material inventory
Accept payments
Operate lab during published access times
Design and print on demand
Key Qualifications
As a prerequisite, the successful candidate must believe in the core values of the Foundation and be driven by the mission. Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to the mission of The Foundation are paramount. The candidate must also demonstrate a passion for learning all aspects of 3D printing and design so that they are able to help members with design and printing issues the members might encounter.
YouthQuest is an Equal Opportunity employer. Personnel are chosen on the basis of ability without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, marital status or sexual orientation, in accordance with federal and state law.
“As far as I’m concerned, this was the most successful immersion experience we’ve done,” said YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks. “We were totally focused this time on how to use their skills to be mentors to young people in their families and neighborhoods, and how to work in the community to demonstrate what 3D design and printing is.”
The 3D ThinkLink Initiative uses instruction in 3D design and printing as a vehicle for teaching at-risk youth about critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and confidence. The Youth ChalleNGe Program, run by the National Guard, gives dropouts a second chance to get their lives back on track and earn a high school degree.
Advanced students work in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab
For teens who have struggled in school, the experience of learning something cool like 3D printing and teaching it to others does wonders for their self-esteem.
“Now I can do things to help people who were in my shoes,” said Freestate Cadet David Kelly, 16, from Baltimore.
During daylong sessions in the lab, our advanced students became thoroughly familiar with the setup, operation and troubleshooting of the M3D Micro 3D printers they’ll be using as mentors. They also worked with new types of materials they hadn’t used in their on-campus classes, such flexible and color-changing filaments.
For the first time, the students made designs to be built in the lab’s full-color powder bed printer, so they could experience a professional level of 3D printing.
Staying motivated all week was no problem for these students. After a full day in the lab, they would take their laptop computers back to their hotel rooms and work on designs until 9:00 or 10:00 at night, then come back the next morning eager to print their creations.
‘It’s Like Therapy’
All four cadets said being involved in our program benefited them in ways that go far beyond gaining technical skills. They described 3D ThinkLink class as a respite from the regimented life at their ChalleNGe academies, where they spent 5 ½ months away from home.
David Kelly holds a frame for a fidget spinner he 3D printed
David explained that he would get frustrated in other classes sometimes, but having the opportunity to use his imagination and design whatever he liked in 3D class every week always made him feel better.
“Making stuff calmed me down,” he said. “Whenever I make new things, I generally get happy. It lightens my mood.”
The same was true for Capital Guardian Cadet LaMarcus Corley.
“It has helped me control my anger,” the 17 year old from Washington, DC, wrote in a scholarship-winning essay about his 3D ThinkLink experience. “When I come to class, my whole mood changes. I become happy because I know that I’m in a good place.”
Adrian Vasquez uses Moment of Inspiration 3D design software
LaMarcus also said our class brought out the creativity he used to keep “all bottled in” and taught him how to “think about stuff differently.”
“It helped me with focusing more — paying attention to detail, getting everything right,” said Freestate Cadet Stephen Brown, 16, from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. “It taught me to never give up and to focus on your goal.”
It also helped keep them out of trouble. All the cadets said they appreciated being chosen for the 3D ThinkLink program and enjoyed it so much that they wouldn’t risk being kicked out for misbehaving.
Before he enrolled at Capital Guardian, Cadet Adrian Vasquez said, he had problems in school.
“I would get good grades, but my mind would always be on something else. So I got caught up with stuff I wasn’t supposed to be around,” the 16-year-old from DC said. “But ever since I started 3D, my mind has been nowhere near that stuff.”
“It’s like therapy, a type of therapy. Working on 3D designs keeps me focused, not on the other nonsense stuff,” Adrian explained.
“And my mom is cheering me on,” he added. “She’s seen all the posts about us on Facebook and she’s never been so happy. She knows the rough times I had.”
Thinking Differently About the Future
The 3D ThinkLink experience opened these at-risk teens’ eyes to new opportunities and changed their view of what’s possible for them.
“I’ve never really been so confident about the things I’m doing,” said Adrian, who plans to become a master automotive technician.
Stephen Brown checks one of his designs printing on an M3D Micro
Stephen is aiming for a career as a fashion designer and entrepreneur. With 3D printing playing an ever-increasing role in the fashion industry, he realizes the value of the hands-on experience he gained in our classes.
“It really helped me think outside the box and I can use that to my advantage in the future,” he said. “As I pursue my career, the 3D printer will really help me print out prototypes of designs.”
Learning 3D printing gave LaMarcus a new perspective about his options after graduating from Capital Guardian and he’s looking forward to being a Youth Mentor.
“I know it changed me, so I want to make a change in people’s lives,” he said.
So does Adrian, who was reminded of the importance of giving back when he discovered how 3D-printed prosthetic devices help people who’ve lost limbs.
“I had a mindset thinking that this was just for me or for my family,” he explained. “It’s not always for yourself. You can always improve someone else’s life.”
LaMarcus Corley uses the lab’s full-color powder printer for the first time
The work these students do as Youth Mentors will support YouthQuest’s goal of reducing America’s dropout rate.
David hopes the children he reaches will share his excitement about 3D printing and decide to learn more about it.
“This isn’t easy stuff. There’s a bunch of math in it, so you really have to stay in school to understand this,” he said.
David added that he’s eager to inspire younger kids “because they’re going to be the future for us.”
“I understand I’m the future now, but they’re going to be the future for me.”
