YouthQuest’s project to teach critical thinking and problem solving skills through 3D design and printing reached 60 at-risk teens from South Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia in 2014.
This year’s highlights included the participation of students from Maryland’s Freestate and DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Programs in the USA Science and Engineering Festival in April and the first weeklong immersion training at our 3D ThinkLink Lab at YouthQuest headquarters in Chantilly, Va., in August.
Our students also saw how 3D printing is used by industries and universities during Vocational Orientation events at 3D Systems, Prototype Productions, the Maryland NanoCenter and the University of South Carolina Mechanical Engineering Department.
We look forward to further expansion in 2015 with the formal opening of the 3D ThinkLink Lab and the start of 3D printing classes for grade-schoolers at Boys & Girls Club summer camps in Fairfax County, Va.
The students in our first 3D ThinkLink Lab made up an unlikely team of trailblazers.
Not long ago, they were “going down the wrong path.” They were getting into trouble, giving up on school and feeling like nobody cared about them. Each one made the life-changing decision to enroll in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, where they learned about 3D design and printing in classes provided by the YouthQuest Foundation.
Thirty at-risk teens from South Carolina, Maryland and the District of Columbia completed the introductory course in June. From those classes, instructors chose these five young men to attend the first weeklong training session at YouthQuest headquarters in Chantilly, Va., Aug. 4-8.
For South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy graduate Joey Clark, it was an “adventurous” week.
“We all come from different places, with different problems,” he said. “You didn’t know what was going to happen. It was a mystery.
“We started printing some stuff out, started having fun and then we all became pretty much brothers.”
The students’ main project for the week was to build a solar-powered walking robot and use 3D printing to customize it. In the process, they learned about creativity, problem solving and teamwork, said YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks, who was delighted by how quickly the students pulled together.
Daikwon Jones and Brice Lamb help each other assemble their robots
Within hours, the 3D ThinkLink Lab was buzzing with activity as the students helped each other assemble their robot skeletons and troubleshoot problems.
“You really have to think when it comes to 3D printing because your first thing isn’t always going to work,” observed Joey.
He and fellow SCYCA grad Brice Lamb had to think outside the box when they discovered their solar panels wouldn’t produce enough power to make their robots walk. Joey came up with the idea of using a AA battery to run the motor. He worked with Tom to design and print a battery holder that attached to his robot’s back.
That led Brice to experiment with a smaller button-type battery from one of the electronic calipers the students used to take precise measurements.
“This is the kind of problem-solving skill we’re trying to instill in these young people,” said Tom. “We want them to know that when you reach a hurdle, you don’t just stop. You take a look at it, think about it and then come up with a solution to your problem.”
“Doing 3D taught me it’s OK to make mistakes because you can always go back and redo it,” added Jarrod Burley from Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.
“This has helped me so much,” said Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy graduate Daikwon Jones. “It gives you a chance to be yourself. It’s like an artist with a painting.”
The students showed off their creations during the annual VIP reception for YouthQuest’s leading supporters, held at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in McLean, Va., on Aug. 7. Getting to meet some of the at-risk youth they’re helping made a powerful impression on our donors.
“They are highly educated, successful, accomplished in their professions,” noted Tom, “yet they didn’t know as much about 3D printing as our students did.”
Rashad Byrd with (L-R) Carrie and Pete Schourek, and Jones Lang LaSalle Managing Director Harry Klaff at YouthQuest’s VIP Reception
“CEOs, captains of industry, professional athletes, authors… were actually held spellbound,” Capital Guardian Information Systems Manager and 3D ThinkLink instructor Keith Hammond recalled with a smile.
“It made me feel special,” said Brice.
The reception guests were fascinated by 3D printing, added Jarrod, but many they said they didn’t think they’d be able to do it. “When I told them, ‘You can do anything you put your mind to,’ it amazed them,” he said.
Jarrod’s Freestate classmate Rashad Byrd, a sports fan who dreams of playing pro baseball, was amazed that he was able to spend time with two famous athletes in two days. He talked with retired MLB pitcher Pete Schourek about 3D printing – and baseball – at the VIP reception, then got a pep talk on the final day of class from sportscaster Rick ‘Doc’ Walker, who was a member of the Super Bowl XVII Champion Washington Redskins. Both of them played in our charity golf tournament, the Challenge at Trump National, on Aug. 11.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Stay focused on your goals and don’t get distracted,” Doc told the students. “Don’t ever let anyone make fun of you for trying to be successful. Knowledge is the key.”
The first 3D ThinkLink Lab experience was an eye-opener for everyone.
“All week, we’ve been creating stuff. We’ve been expanding our minds.” said Daikwon.
“I never thought I would be telling somebody to not give up and to just keep trying. If you mess up, just start all over again,” said Jarrod.
These five young trailblazers, who have started over and put themselves on the path to a better life, taught us a great deal during the week. Because of what we learned from their experience, we will be able to accomplish even more in the next immersion labs as we acquire more sophisticated 3D printers.
If you would like to help us expand our 3D ThinkLink Initiative, please CLICK HERE to make a donation or contact us at info@YouthQuestFoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.
It was a day of fun and fundraising as about 150 golfers, sponsors and volunteers took part in the Challenge at Trump National Aug. 11.
Tournament Committee Chairman Bill Hall hailed the ninth annual event as “another resounding success.”
Golf Entertainer Brad Denton shows players how to improve their short game
The tournament generated enough money to ensure that we will achieve our goal of opening a 3D printing lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Va., by the end of this year, according to YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann. This is an important step in the growth of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative, which helps at-risk teens strengthen their creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills.
After Golf Entertainer Brad Denton’s demonstration of putting techniques the pros use, the players headed out onto the Championship Course at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC. Thanks to General Manager Det Williams, Director of Golf Kevin Morris, event planner Vicky Kurasz and the rest of the excellent Trump National staff, everything ran smoothly on and off the course.
The VIP guests assigned to each team included retired Major League Soccer goalkeeper Mike Ammann, pitchers Pete Schourek and Shawn Camp from Major League Baseball, active and retired members of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Brett Kayes and the always-supportive Washington Redskins alumni.
Betty Eaton with Lynda Mann
The day wrapped up with an award ceremony and reception, where Chris Eaton was remembered with a posthumous Volunteer of the Year Award. Chris, who had served as a volunteer at the tournament every year since 2008, suffered a fatal heart attack while competing in a triathlon a week after last year’s Challenge at Trump National. His mother, Betty Eaton, accepted a plaque honoring him during our VIP Reception on Aug. 7.
Joey Darley of Joey’s Smiles Photography and Scene2bSeen received the 2014 Community Partner Award in recognition of his longstanding support for YouthQuest’s mission.
New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap joined us at both receptions to sign copies of his new thriller, End Game. As part of the live auction at our 2012 wine event, John offered to put the highest bidder in the book. Ryan and Tre Cage won the bidding and asked John to give the character their mother’s name. So while we know Jolaine Cage as a key YouthQuest volunteer, she’s a highly trained security specialist on the run in End Game.
Daikwon Jones explains his solar-powered robot to Joy Gilstrap at the VIP Reception
We’re grateful to Michael Garcia and his staff at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in McLean, Va., for hosting the VIP Reception again this year. It was a great opportunity for our supporters to meet some of the young people they’re helping through their contributions to YouthQuest.
Five students who were participating in a week of 3D ThinkLink Lab immersion training showed off their creations and told our guests about how they’ve benefited from being involved in our project.
Several new sponsors joined us this year, including Wells Fargo Private Bank, which sponsored Brad Denton’s appearance.
This tournament wouldn’t be possible without the work of our volunteers, led this year by John Bloom. We deeply appreciate the time and effort everyone devoted to making the event a success.
Because of the generosity of our supporters, YouthQuest is doing more than ever to provide academic and vocational development, infrastructure and life-enriching experiences for America’s at-risk youth.
Our next tournament will take place on Monday, August 10, 2015. Sponsors are already signing up and we’re working on plans to make the 10th annual Challenge at Trump National the best one yet.
Today marks an important milestone in the growth of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. For the first time, we’ve brought students to our headquarters for a week of immersion training.
These students learned the basics of 3D design and printing in our spring classes at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy and the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy. During this week’s 3D ThinkLink Lab experience, they will do creative, hand-on projects to add new layers to their understanding of 3D printing and to build up their critical thinking skills.
Daikwon Jones dreams up ways to customize the solar-powered robot he just assembled.
This morning’s session began with a discussion about solving problems, then the students got right to work assembling solar-powered robots and using their 3D printing skills to customize their creations.
Another project for the group will be to invent a device that allows a person who has a prosthetic arm to use an electric toothbrush. Under the guidance of YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks, the students will design, print and install the device to test and evaluate their concept.
On Thursday night, the students will showcase their projects during YouthQuest’s annual VIP Reception at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse in McLean, Va.
The members of our first 3D ThinkLink Lab class are: Jarrod Burley and Rashad Byrd (Maryland), Daikwon Jones (DC), Joey Clark and Brice Lamb (SC).
We also thank Freestate’s Tim Jackson, Capital Guardian’s Keith Hammond and Herman Lantz, and South Carolina’s Sammie Brown for joining us at YouthQuest headquarters in Chantilly, Va., this week to help with the training and chaperone the students.
With a new cycle of 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes starting, it’s a good time to take a look at where our STEM education project has been and where it’s going.
The South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy is holding classes for the first time — joining the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which introduced classes last fall, and Freestate, where the YouthQuest Foundation launched this project last spring.
3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training
Instructors from all three schools spent a week at YouthQuest headquarters last month preparing for this class cycle. While the teachers work in the classrooms, YouthQuest’s Director of Instruction Tom Meeks will lead the sessions via video conferencing from a central location. Tom will also visit each class so he can get to know the students in person and reinforce the message that the things they learn in class will help them make better decisions.
As our 3D ThinkLink Initiative grows, so does the support we receive from our strategic partner, 3D Systems, which provides the Cube printers, Sense scanners and Sculpt software students use in class.
The South Carolina students will tour the company’s Rock Hill headquarters in June as part of their Vocational Orientation Day, which shows them how the skills they learn in class are used in the working world.
We also are teaming up with 3D Systems for an exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the nation’s largest celebration of STEM, next month in Washington, DC.
Students from Freestate and Capital Guardian will participate in interactive demonstrations of 3D scanning, modeling and printing. They will have the chance to tell other students what our classes have taught them about solving problems by thinking creatively. When they’re not at our booth, they’ll be exploring the scientific wonderland of exhibits that will fill the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Visit our exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival April 26-27. Participants include more than 750 of the world’s top scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, tech companies and STEM outreach and community organizations. We’ll be in Hall A, Booth 1136 – right next to 3D Systems. It’s free!
The festival is sure to be the kind of life-enriching experience our foundation strives to provide for at-risk youth. It’s also an excellent opportunity to tell our story to people in the STEM education and additive manufacturing communities who can help support YouthQuest’s mission.
One of our immediate priorities is to begin creating a 3D fabrication laboratory equipped with software and printers that can do more than the ones our students use in class. Two students from each of the classes that are now starting will be selected to spend a week in the lab in July, where they will delve deeper into 3D printing and learn to work with materials other than plastic, such as clay and even candy.
Eventually, community groups and individuals will be able to use the facility for a fee, to help cover the costs of our educational programs.
Another goal for this year is to expand the 3D ThinkLink Initiative beyond the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. YouthQuest President and Co-Founder Lynda Mann is leading an outreach effort to partner with other youth organizations that work in underserved communities throughout America.
Click on the video below for more about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.
The YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative is growing, and so is the need for resources to support this important STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education experience for at-risk youth.
Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza was in the first 3D printing class at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.
We are serving twice as many students this fall as we did in the pilot project at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in the spring. 3D printing classes are being conducted at Maryland’s Freestate and the newly opened Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy, which serves the District of Columbia. And that’s just the beginning. We have invited four more National Guard Youth ChalleNGe programs in the mid-Atlantic region to start classes at their Academies early next year.
This means hundreds of high school dropouts who decide to turn their lives around will have the opportunity to learn about the revolutionary technology of additive manufacturing. Smaller groups at each Academy will be chosen for 25 hours of advanced training as members of 3D ThinkLink Teams. Starting next summer, select students from those teams will be invited to YouthQuest’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va., for 40 hours of immersion training in our 3D ThinkLink Fabrication Laboratory.
With your support, we are opening students’ eyes to a world of possibilities in STEM they might otherwise have never seen. Every donation, large or small, helps us assemble the pieces we need to build on the early success of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. For example:
$30 provides a lab tool set for one student.
$100 provides one hard drive and battery for a recycled laptop computer.
$450 provides one tablet computer for a 3D ThinkLink Team graduate.
$1,600 provides one Cube 3D printer and materials.
$2,500 provides one week of 3D ThinkLink Lab immersion training, including lodging and meals, for one student.
By making the connection between technology and creativity, the 3D ThinkLink Initiative gives at-risk teens an advantage as they enter a workforce where STEM skills are in high demand. Our classes prepare students to successfully compete for a growing array of technology-related jobs that don’t require a college degree or to continue their education in one of the STEM disciplines. In addition, the program builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills that help graduates achieve their goals no matter what career path they choose.
