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Level Up Philly showcased Philadelphia high school students’ tech skills at NASCIO, featuring VR and robotics demonstrations and highlighting the potential of youth from underserved communities for government technology roles.
At the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Midyear Conference, bustling with the top government technology leaders from all across the country, a different kind of technical expert captured the attention of attendees between discussions on AI, data analytics and IT modernization.
It was the talents of Sybir, a high school senior who also leads the West Philly High lacrosse team, maneuvering a $27,000 quadruped robot dog in handstands, crawls and bounces all on a smartphone app that stopped people in their tracks.
Level Up Philly, a nonprofit from Philadelphia dedicated to empowering high-risk youth through technology education, provided the compelling demonstration, which also placed a spotlight on students skilled in virtual reality (VR) development and other STEM technologies.
Level Up Philly was selected by the NASCIO committee to demonstrate at the conference, offering attendees a way to make an electronic donation. The nonprofit delivers STEM education and essential digital resources to bridge the digital divide in Philadelphia. Its goal is to create an inclusive technological landscape, one that provides opportunity and advancement for all members of the community by investing in their tech skills.
Aaron Campbell, founder and executive director of Level Up Philly, described its approach as a “grassroots holistic” mentoring program which serves about 2,500 students from more than 141 schools weekly. The emphasis is on anti-violence, reducing truancy and recidivism, by equipping students with hope and promising pathways to future advancement in STEM and the tech industry.
“This is to close the gargantuan digital divide so truly no child is left behind,” Campbell told Government Technology in an interview at the conference.
The Unitree robot showcased at NASCIO, Campbell explained, perfectly embodies the nonprofit’s core values.
“It’s about giving the kids the best. It’s one thing to say we want to equip them, and use the word ‘cutting-edge,’ but if we’re not actually delivering to them the 3D printing, the best in VR technology, robots and AI — if we’re really not giving them the best, then ‘cutting-edge’ is just a term,” said Campbell. “That robot dog is $27,000, but it really speaks of what we’re about. We didn’t buy it and put it in a glass showcase, we gave it to the kids.”
Campbell said it was a dream come true to have many of his students interacting with tech leaders during the conference, and in the future the program will continue to work toward reinventing how youth get STEM opportunities.
“While it’s great to say, ‘We want to tie the affluent suburb, we want to give them what the kids from the affluent suburb are getting’ — that’s great, but why not try to be the best?” Campbell posed. “Why not have it so even the suburban kids have to come into West Philly to learn and have a mutual symbiotic relationship? Which is really how humanity is supposed to work. So we’re going to close that digital divide.”
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