LANCASTER, Calif. — The Los Angeles County Office of Education, along with its partners, is trying to level the playing field for young people who want to pursue their creative passions.Â
LACOE has partnered with Best Buy, the Annenberg Foundation and the Greater LA Education Foundation to help open six new tech centers throughout the region that will be open for people between the ages of 12 and 19 to explore their creative sides.
The tech centers will provide resources and programs dedicated to music, filmmaking and art. Johnathan Mandujano is 13 years old and in a band. The guitarist started visiting the teen tech center in Lancaster when he was 12.
“It helps me ’cause I know I have a space here,” he said. “So that I can put all my best dreams into my own heart.”
Young people can practice the guitar, drums and many other musical instruments, with studio-level spaces at the centers. Manjuano loves that he can visit the center and get some added practice.
“I’m the guitarist and the lead singer,” Mandujano said. “This kind of helps me with my own lessons of teaching me how to properly play my own guitar so that it can help me and my band.”
There will be six tech centers spread out around Southern California, with locations in Lancaster, Koreatown, Boyle Heights, South LA, Long Beach and the San Fernando Valley. All of them are fully funded by the federal government.
Sam Gelinas, vice president of programs, strategy and development with the Greater LA Education Foundation, says officials were very strategic with where they wanted to construct the centers.
“We looked at community level data, educational attainment, access to broadband speed internet, public health data and family income levels,” Gelinas said. “We really wanted to figure out how to put the tech centers in places that would most benefit from this kind of access.”
Each center also will have a small number of full-time staff members who help visitors navigate the technology and resources available in the centers.
Angelica Ramirez is the teen tech center coordinator in Lancaster. With county data showing roughly 60% of students are economically disadvtanged, she knows the importance of trying to bridge the gap in the digital divide.
“A lot of people and teens in the Antelope Valley don’t currently have access to that kind of stuff,” Ramirez said. “We want to be a center, a safe space for teens to grow, and also evolve. So that way, it’ll help their resumes.”
For Mandujano, having a space to explore his creative side and pursue his artistic passions has been a game changer. He encourages other young people to take advantage of the space.
“I get to put my mind to its full extent when it comes to things that I like,” he said. “At home, it might be a little bit more difficult. So, I do recommend going here if you want to try something new once in a while.”
