I have been in contact with a local city-run community center, pitching to them the idea of creating a basic electronics course for young people, 12-18. These kids already have lots of athletic, art and craft programs to choose from, in addition to after-school tutoring. The demographic is poor, urban, and mostly minority.
The class would begin with some basic soldering, towards the construction of something fun- a noisemaker/blinky, perhaps. Once they get the idea that they can actually build something, then we slowly de-construct the project, explaining how it works in more detail, spinning off related projects as we go along, and increasing their knowledge and skills. That’s the plan, anyway.
Naturally, the first step is to write a proposal, and to that end, I would appreciate hearing from others who have done similar classes/clinics, etc. I was told that funds can be made available with which to purchase tools and materials, and that is important because it’s not likely that these kids would already have what they need.
I already have some idea how to proceed, but since I have only taught adult professionals up to this point, I would appreciate hearing about the experiences of others- both instructors as well as participants.
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