Apple is currently expanding its Community Education Initiative, with a new report from the company indicating that it has now expanded to over 600 communities.
Founded in 2019, Apple’s CEI is a part of Apple’s dedication to equity. The company is currently working with more than 150 education partners to help provide resources in the fields of tech and coding.
Apple’s Community Education Initiative Expands to Over 600 Communities
As part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative (CEI), the company helped welcome 300 of Los Angeles’ elementary and middle school students to California State University, Dominguez Hills’ Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) lab. There, students took part in a “Steam MAX” experience.
Apple’s Communication Education Initiative is a means for the company to help local education institutions. Apple provides a variety of resources, including “hardware, scholarships, financial support, educator resources, and access to teams of Apple export who work side by side with educators to enhance student learning with technology”.
Along with helping students from a variety of backgrounds gain access to education in the fields of science, tech and app designing skills, the university also launched after-school coding clubs. Featured at six elementary and middle schools, there is also an event held on Saturdays called STEM Exploration Day that features coaches from CSUDH computer sciences department hosting activities.
According to a press release from Apple,
What astonishes me the most is what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time because of this unique partnership with Apple, said Dr. Kamal Hamdan, director of CSUDH’s CISE lab. Thousands of students who would have never had access to this type of learning have gone though one of our programs, and you can’t put a dollar amount on those experiences. It’s a testament to the fact that when two organizations with like-minded values put their hearts and their heads toward a common goal, the sky is the limit in terms of how many lives we can change.
CSUDH is hoping to reach 4,000 students through 40 schools this year alone. The school has already helped provide 2,000 students access to learning resource in the Los Angeles area.
Further Expansion
Furthermore, Apple is continuing to expand its CEI initiative across the U.S. and internationally. Right now, Apple currently has programming with partners across 29 states as well as the District of Columbia.
In total, Apple’s 150 partners provides learning materials “in nearly 600 communities across 99 countries and regions, and all 50 US states”. Though Apple has partners in 29 states, they are able to expand across all 50 states in thanks to virtual education.
We believe education is a powerful force for equity, helping learners discover the tools they need to lift up their communities and shape the future, said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. We’re thrilled to continue to expand our Community Education Initiative so that students of all ages have access to world-class learning opportunities, regardless of their zip code.
Additionally, Apple is also partnering with the Cherokee Nation, the Choctaw Nation, the Chickasaw Nation and the tribal governments alongside Oklahoma City University to provide educational resources to Native American youth. The initiative also expands to younger people living on tribal reservations in Oklahoma.
For this initiative, there are two goals. The first being to help preserve “tribal languages and cultures”, as well as helping provide access to employment opportunities. The new partnership will begin later this month.
Concerning CEI, Apple originally launched the program in 2019. One of the first to join was the Oakland-based Dream Corps. Based around the Dream Corps’ #YesWeCode initiative, 100 individuals were able to graduate from #YesWeCode, and in thanks to the initiative, 60% were able to find work in tech fields.
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