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May 2023
 How did you first hear about the Tech Center?
My dad, he was the one who told me about it.
Why did you keep coming back?
I liked it, I needed something to do in the summer.
What is your favorite thing to do here?
3d printing, and sewing!
What are the kinds of things you’ve made here?
I’ve sewn together bags and shirts. I’ve also 3d printed a vase and an Iron Man figurine.
Is there a creative project you’d like to complete that you haven’t yet?
I think I’ve done everything at this point, I do want to make a sweater for myself though!
What kind of hobbies do you have outside the tech center?
I like cooking, going out for nature walks, playing basketball and tennis, and then doing theater at school. Acting and producing; I was recently in my school's musical: "The Lion King Jr." I was a background animal in every scene and was singing in the chorus!
Mentor spotlight: Collette
What brought you to the Tech Center?
Umm…being a street outreach worker! The place I work at has a contract with the Tech Center to have an outreach worker here.
Can you remind us why the Tech Center needs an outreach worker?
Because there’s quite a handful of youth here who are currently unhoused and we agreed it’s important for us to connect these youth with housing and employment resources.
What is your favorite thing to do here?
Prolly the laser cutter! It’s something I know how to do and I like how you can engrave or cut, because you can burn an image onto wood, leather, acrylic, and you can also control the shape of the surface you’re burning the image on.
In your words what has this partnership accomplished?
For me, it’s allowed me to reach young people I might not reach otherwise, since I normally do outreach directly on the streets or people find my phone number online. Additionally, this space supports youth in a lot of different ways, and having an outreach worker here increases our effectiveness.
What are your goals beyond the Tech Center?
I’m in school for social work right now, so my goal is to finish that! I have an idea of starting a group home for trans youth who need 24-hr care, which figured into my decision to pursue social work, and I am also considering becoming a therapist, so those are the things on the horizon for me.
Caretaker Survey
If you are a parent or caretaker of a Teen Tech Center member, we would like to hear from you! Each year we conduct surveys on behalf of one of our partner organizations, the Clubhouse Network. The Clubhouse Network is a collection of Teen Tech Centers across the globe that works to promote learning creativity through play. The information gathered from the survey is used for applying to grants and improving our services.
Take the survey here!
Volunteers needed
Volunteer mentors are an important part of our program. We invite those interested, and able to commit to volunteering once a week for a 6-month period, to join us. We can teach you technology, you just need a passion to connect with youth.
Sign up here to support the tech center as a mentor.
Thank you to our partners
The tech center is made possible by support from Friends of the Hennepin County Library; A Proud Member of the Clubhouse Network, an international network of afterschool programs; and the nationwide Best Buy Teen Tech Centers program.
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