Some students have an advantage as they return to school in Virginia’s Tidewater region. They’re the kids who learned about 3D design and printing in the Horizon Hampton Roads Summer Enrichment Program.
YouthQuest has been working with Horizons Hampton Roads since 2016 to adapt our 3D ThinkLink curriculum for the six-week program that serves children from low-income families in the Norfolk and Portsmouth area, helping them avoid summer learning loss.
The rising sixth-graders in our classes not only gain hands-on experience with computers, 3D printers and CAD (computer-aided design) software, they build confidence in themselves. They discover they can do something that seemed hard at first by learning from their mistakes and pushing ahead to achieve their goals.
Like the other at-risk kids YouthQuest reaches with the 3D ThinkLink Initiative – teens on the autism spectrum at the PHILLIPS schools and dropouts seeking a second chance in National Guard Youth ChalleNGe programs – the Horizons Hampton Roads students always want to use their 3D skills to give back in some way. This summer, they designed and printed plaques featuring the logos of Horizons Hampton Roads sponsors to thank them for their support.
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As we wrap up an eventful year filled with accomplishments, here’s a look back at the YouthQuest Foundation’s most memorable moments.
Success for More At-Risk Teens
Sixty-five cadets from National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs completed our 3D ThinkLink training this year. We taught these at-risk youth to think differently about failure and success as they prepare to enter the job market or pursue higher education.
Click picture to see more photos
Our classes help students develop sought-after STEM skills through hands-on experience with professional-level CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, 3D printers and computers. In addition, the trial-and-error nature of 3D printing teaches our students about critical thinking, problem-solving, perseverance, resilience, creativity and collaboration. These “soft skills” are even more valuable to employers than the technical skills.
Nearly 300 ChalleNGe cadets have completed 3D ThinkLink training since we launched the project in 2013. We have reached many more young people through our partnerships with the PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families at schools in Fairfax and Annandale, Virginia, for students with autism and other special needs; and with Horizons Hampton Roads, serving low-income children in Portsmouth, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
This year, we rewarded 13 cadets for their outstanding performance in class by bringing them to our lab for a week of advanced training. Seven students earned scholarships for the essays they wrote about the impact the 3D ThinkLink experience had on their lives. The 2018 essay competition winners are: Caleb Pearson ($1,000) from SCYCA; Chigaru Todd ($1,000) and Jacob Foote ($500) from CGYCA; Sthephanie Alvarez-Vega ($1,000), Bradley Berry, Trevor Haney and Dante Isom ($500) from Freestate.
A Chance Encounter, a Lightbulb Moment
We put a lot of planning into Vocational Orientation to make sure our students get the most out of the events, which show them how 3D printing is used at businesses and universities. But sometimes the best parts of these field trips are unscripted. Freestate Instructor Jamarr Dennis recalled the moment during a Vocational Orientation tour of The Foundery in Baltimore that “the lightbulb went on” for Cadet Sthephanie Alvarez-Vega when she struck up a conversation with craftsman/entrepreneur Festus Jones.
Vocational Orientation and Inspiration
Like Sthephanie, South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy Cadet Caleb Pearson attended Immersion Lab training and earned a scholarship in the essay contest. And like her, Caleb was unexpectedly inspired by someone he met during Vocational Orientation. Nathan Lambert, a top graduate student, helped guide the SCYCA group through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Mechanical Engineering Department in October. Toward the end of the tour, Nathan told the cadets that he’d hated high school and barely graduated, but after serving in the military, he discovered his passion for engineering and learned to excel in college. “It made me feel really confident,” said Caleb, an aspiring engineer who once struggled in school. “If this man has made it this far in his life … and I want to be exactly where he is, I can do it.”
Stepping Up With Loudoun Youth
The YouthQuest Foundation has been the prize money sponsor for the Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition every year since 2012. The contest, run by Loudoun Youth, Inc. and Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services, challenges teams of teens in Loudoun County, Virginia, to identify problems in their communities, then develop and implement solutions.
We have been so impressed by Step Up’s results that we doubled our contribution to $5,000 this year. YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann made the announcement at the preliminary round of competition for more than 60 teams on April 5.
This year’s winning team, Princess Packages, started a volunteer organization to lift the spirits of young girls who suffer from sadness and isolation during long hospital stays. Other top-10 team projects included a tutoring and mentoring program for elementary school students, a chatbot app to help immigrants to improve their English language skills and study for the U.S. citizenship exam, and a networking service to connect teens with employment and volunteer opportunities.
Teams for next year’s Step Up contest have already formed and we can’t wait to see what projects they create in the spring.
Recognition for Innovation
Operations Manager Juan Louro, President Lynda Mann and Communications Director Steve Pendlebury send Drucker Prize semifinal submission form
We are honored to have been chosen as one of the 50 semifinalists for this year’s Drucker Prize, a $100,000 award for innovation by nonprofit organizations.
Our presentation about the 3D ThinkLink Initiative was selected from among more than 500 entries nationwide for the prize, which recognizes nonprofits that best exemplify business management legend Peter Drucker’s definition of innovation: “Change that creates a new dimension of performance.”
This was our third year competing for the Drucker Prize and each time, we get a little farther. We look forward to entering the contest again in 2019.
These excerpts from our Drucker Prize presentation sum up the principles that will continue to drive our organization in the year ahead.
The YouthQuest Foundation exists to help America’s at-risk youth become successful adults by changing the way they think about their past failures and providing opportunities for them to fulfill their potential through education and life-changing experiences.
The at-risk youth we serve – minorities, kids with disabilities and those from low-income families – make up a disproportionate share of America’s dropouts. They’re on a path that leads to poverty and even prison.
The kids we serve once saw themselves as failures. We help change their perception of failure, and of themselves, by offering an innovative way to get them on course to a better life.
These students from the 2018 fall class cycle earned $1,000 scholarships for these essays about their 3D ThinkLink experience.
By Sthephanie Alvarez-Vega
Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Well I’m going to be honest. At first I wasn’t sure if I had made the right choice about picking 3D Printing over Welding. I was kind of disappointed in the first 3D printing class because it was boring and nothing seemed to catch my attention and I wanted to drop out of the class as soon as possible! Then we ended up going on a field trip and we went to a place called The Foundery in Baltimore. During this trip I got to see a lot of interesting thing such as water jet cutters, blacksmithing, woodworking, welding, laser engraving and a lot of other things. This made me change my perspective and made me realize how cool and unique things can be when you learn to build things on your own and you get a feeling of satisfaction when doing it.
The YouthQuest 3D printing program has helped me think outside of the box. It helped me change the way I look at simple things like lines, shapes, and sizes. 3D printing made me realize that I don’t have to be a kid to have an imagination and being a part of 3D printing allows me to think freely. It allows me to use the Moment of Inspiration program to use my creativity and put it into practice. This program allows me to make a design and then bring it to life. I got to see 3D designs on a computer screen and comparing it to when it is actually in my hands is a great experience no words can describe.
Another great experience I had was going to the Harford Community College and getting to see all the different types of printers that exist and asking questions about how they work and what they do affects our future in great ways. Technology is a big part of my generation and being able to see a printer that is able to create limbs for people is so amazing.
The 3D program is a good program for people who have a lot of creativity and want to see things come to life. With 3D printing, designs are very complex and they are tiny layers sticking together. It starts from the bottom and comes up layer by layer. With 3D printing you have a freedom of design and customizing at the same time. But this program allows you to use less shaping materials then traditional manufacturing methods. I believe that 3D printing was a great opportunity for me to be a part of something. I got a chance to see things differently than most of the cadets here and I appreciate it. I now realize that I made a great choice to stay with 3D printing because it got me to see the world and what revolves around me differently. I no longer see things with a simple mind. I got to have a different experience and I would do it all over again if I had a chance to.
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By Caleb Pearson
South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy
When I was twelve or thirteen years old I caught my first glimpse of 3D printing. I saw a man on the news with a 3D printed prosthetic arm writing his own name and that’s when I started to see 3D printing everywhere. It was being mentioned in magazines to describe the structure of certain products and I saw the terminology used in shows and some movies I watched. I never knew how the printing was done or what did it but now thanks to the 3D printing program hosted by the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy I can understand that process much better.
The YouthQuest program changed my concept of what 3D printing is into something I never thought to consider. When I first thought about how manufacturers used computers to design their products I thought it took genius level skills in mathematics to complete. Contrary to that belief it’s so simple I learned how to create a 3D object in just three lessons. The YouthQuest program uses nouns and verbs and a little math here and there to create objects in the four viewing platforms. My first project was to make a cookie cutter by extruding two rings and then using another tool to sharpen its edges. It seems like a simple task but I had a blast just doing that with the assistance of the instructional videos, which are very helpful in my opinion. The key phrase during the class: mistakes are not final, nothing is so bad that you can’t come back from it.
The 3D printing program altered my view of that itself, but that phrase changed my mentality towards my reality. I signed up for this 3D program thinking it would teach me how to make and design cool things. I thought they would hand me some papers that told me how to do everything but I was sorely mistaken. The teachers, both physical and digital, get in-depth with the students on issues they might have or run into while working with the program and how to correct them. I was happy to see that the bottom left corner of the menu screen had an “Undo” button when I made a mistake, it makes things so much easier to work with.
Integrating this form of manufacturing into my lifestyle seems a lot more plausible now that I’ve seen it used in the career field I’d like to pursue, which is engineering in general at the moment. The 3D printing team took a field trip to a company called Duncan-Parnell who manufactures and services their machines. We learned about the many different forms of 3D printing and the different materials they can print. I used to believe that carbon-fiber was the toughest material to work with but it turns out their company has a machine that actually prints with that material. My mind was blown by this point of our trip but it got even better.
After the business visit, we went off to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The staff at UNCC took us on a tour with the engineering program. The aerospace program had a rocket with a 3D printed nose cone and rover which they used at a competition which was overseen by NASA. They had a crew of over 15 people which was used to make just that one rocket. I loved the next part where they took us all through the machining and 3D printing facilities, which had a temperature-controlled room which I had never been into. One of the guides for our group shared his story of how he had never gotten that big of an education in math, which I could really relate to but had never heard before, lifted my spirits about my future in the engineering field. I guess that’s what really solidified my resolve to pursue that career path and is how it will affect my life.
I know I’ve learned that my path in life is not ultimately decided by my mistakes and that I am still working on a few that I’ve made. I know that I will still make more of them in future, hopefully not too many, and I’ll learn from those too. Right now I’m happy with the doors I’ve opened and the ones I’m still working on opening to better my future. I hope my efforts pay off and I accomplish everything I put my mind to. Thank you SCYCA for the opportunity to grow into a better person
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By Chigaru Todd
Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
I truly appreciate being chosen for this potential scholarship. My name is Chigaru A. Todd and I attend Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy. I am 16 years old and I live in Northeast, Washington, DC. I believe I should be chosen for this scholarship because I have demonstrated hard-work ethics, responsibility, and the willingness to learn and further my knowledge. I am a very creative individual with the readiness to work and achieve great possibilities. Albert Einstein once said, “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” While attending Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy I was given the opportunity to experience a training which involved a 3D ThinkLink course. This course consists of a program called Moment of Inspiration. While using this program we are able to build objects and produce them on our 3D printing machine.
The program was taught to me in a step by step process. At the end of this process each student in my class was able to build their own 3D key chain. Each student completed their key chain. When I finished mine I felt empowered. I was very intrigued by the 3D software and what it detailed. The wise words of Audrey Hepburn, “Nothing is impossible, for the word itself says I’m possible” inspired me to continue on with 3D ThinkLink training and the outstanding growth it brought to my leadership goals.
My fellow cadets and I were greeted with such gratitude and enthusiasm, it made my peers and I feel as though we were on top of the world. To be offered a scholarship of this magnitude at this point in my life is a blessing. Being able to use computers for graphic arts and be recognized for it is a dream come true. Graphic arts is something that has always fascinated me. I plan to stay focused and further my career in the graphic engineering field.
I remember my father always telling me, “You are so intelligent and if you use your mind for good, you can really go far in life.” I always think about him saying this in my mind and use it for motivation. If not for my father I probably, never mind the probably, I would not be where I am right now. He has inspired me to obtain and achieve the unachievable. If I receive this scholarship, it would make my father proud and it would also make me proud. It would be an honor and a blessing to receive this scholarship. Thank you very much for an opportunity such as this that you have given me.
I believe that you must be willing to change your perspective to seek ultimate opportunities. Prior to coming into Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy I had no intentions of participating in any extracurricular activities, but I found interest in 3D Printing and Systems. 3D printing has been an outlet I’ve used to be creative while also gaining knowledge of the next generation’s technology. Since the start of the course I have learned not only the concept of 3D printing, but how to come with up an idea, design it, and turn it into reality. I often had troubles in school understanding key points, but since being a part of 3D printing, my way of thinking has gradually changed. I am very grateful to be able to express myself now through my work.
After graduating Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, I plan to return as a peer mentor to encourage those who are in the position I was in. After that, I plan to enlist in the Army. My overall goal is to enlist into the military as a Public Affairs Specialist while majoring in Media Communications and Hospitality Management. I plan to take the skills I learned from 3D printing and utilize them in my personal life. I hope to design personalized 3D print items that will provide another stream of income as an entrepreneur.
One of my ultimate life goals is to be able to help my father financially by becoming self-sufficient. Growing up in a single parent household, my father has been the most influential person in life. I watched him struggle to raise me as a young female. I believe that everything I do is in honor of my father.
He instilled in me knowledge and gave me the guidance that I will need to be independent. I am excited for the future and thankful for what 3D printing has given me.
For some of our top students, Immersion Lab Week is both the culmination of their 3D ThinkLink experience and a springboard for them to leap into the next stage of their lives.
Students from Maryland, DC, and South Carolina do 3D scanning experiments during Immersion Lab Week in May
3D ThinkLink instructors at the academies select deserving cadets twice a year, near the end of the ChalleNGe programs’ class cycles. Coming so close to graduation, Lab Week gives the at-risk teens we serve a chance to see how far they’ve come and focus on what’s next.
“We do this to see how we’ve done in teaching the students, to introduce them to new experiences they didn’t get in their regular classes at the academies, and to show them where they can go from here,” explained YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks, who leads the advanced training sessions.
On one level, Lab Week is a reward for the cadets’ outstanding performance in 3D class. Spending their days immersed in 3D learning and creativity is a welcome break from the regimented routine of their academies. Plus, they’re delighted to stay in a nice hotel instead of their barracks for a few nights.
“It helped me expand my imagination,” said Freestate Cadet Jessie Hickman. “We can make just about anything we can imagine. It’s really cool.”
Freestate Cadets Sthephanie Alvarez-Vega and Jessie Hickman with instructor Aaron Ancrum at November Lab Week
Our lab is where Jessie and his fellow students got their first chance to work with a 3D scanner and a full-color powder-bed 3D printer last month.
“When I found out you can 3D print what you scan, I wanted to take the most complicated thing and see if I could print it,” he said.
The November Lab group evaluated the new 3D scanning features of Sony’s Xperia XZ1 phone. In May, students worked with several kinds of handheld scanners, cameras and Cappasity 3D visualization software. Both groups experimented with various scanning and lighting techniques to develop “best practices” recommendations for the manufacturers, which they presented in panel discussion videos.
Soft Skills and Hard Work
Along with exploring 3D scanning, both Lab Week groups dug deeper into the capabilities of their Moment of Inspiration design software, going beyond what they had time to do during their on-campus classes. They took on some challenging projects and, in the process of completing them, had to practice the life skills that are at the heart of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative.
“3D changes your perspective on things. If you want to design something, you have to think about it before you start, plan it all out in your head,” explained Capital Guardian Cadet Ashley Walker in our lab last month. “It taught me patience because I’m not a patient person. Don’t get frustrated with every new thing, because you can do it!”
Cassie Myers works with other cadets to test a handheld 3D scanner during Immersion Lab Week in May
“I like hands-on stuff, so being here I can actually involve myself by working,” said South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy Cadet Cassie Myers during her week in the lab in May. “I used to struggle a lot with working with people. This has helped me with that. We have to work together to get a project done. Teamwork makes the dream work!”
Freestate’s Trevor Haney, who earned a YouthQuest scholarship in June for the essay he wrote about his 3D ThinkLink experience, also enjoyed getting to know and work with students from other ChalleNGe programs. In addition to teamwork, the program taught him our most important lesson: Failure is not final.
“Before, if something didn’t turn out right or the way I wanted, I would just give up,” said Trevor. “But being in 3D and being here these past couple of days, I’ve learned you can re-do something. And if it fails, change something. It will fix the whole thing and make it better each time.”
Persistence, collaboration, innovative thinking, problem solving and communication are among the “soft skills” our program instills in at-risk youth, along with the “hard skills” of using CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software and 3D printers. It’s a combination that’s prized by employers.
A scan of Daniel Fickens made during Lab Week in November
Students like Daniel Fickens from SCYCA, who wants a career in the construction industry, know their 3D ThinkLink skills will strengthen their resumes. When they’re asked to give examples of their qualifications in job interviews, they’ll be able to talk about what they did during Lab Week.
“At first, looking at the stuff you had built, I never thought it would be me getting on a computer and doing it myself,” said Daniel after seeing 3D-printed architectural models of homes and commercial buildings in our lab. “Knowing 3D printing can help me in construction moving forward.”
Sthephanie Alvarez-Vega was hesitant to take our class at first because she’d already been picked for the welding program at Freestate.
“I’m glad I didn’t choose welding because I wouldn’t have had all these great experiences in 3D class. This is going to help me a whole lot in finding a job,” she said. “Like putting this on my resume. Imagine someone who’s bilingual with 3D printing experience. I have more of a chance to have a good career.”
‘Break Things, Make Things and Try Things’
The students in the May Lab group heard some valuable career-planning advice during their visit to 3D printer manufacturer M3D.
J.J. Biel-Goebel leads a tour of M3D for Lab Week students in May
“Break things, make things and try things. And don’t be afraid to fail at all because that’s where you’re going to learn the most,” Chief Operating Officer J.J. Biel-Goebel told the cadets as he showed them around M3D’s research and production facility in Fulton, Maryland. “And don’t give up. That’s the other important thing. Keep bashing your head against the wall until you figure it out.”
He explained that “we fail a lot” in the process of prototyping new kinds of 3D printers – and each failure leads to an improvement in the next version of the design.
Biel-Goebel said that’s why he asks all job applicants to talk about something they’ve made. He wants them to describe what worked and didn’t work, and what changes they made.
Hiring managers are looking for people who “learn how to learn,” he continued. Taking on projects that require you to teach yourself new skills, as students do throughout their 3D ThinkLink experience, makes you more valuable to an employer.
“Nobody is going to get it right the first time, every time,” he said. “I want someone who knows that, knows what their limitations are, knows what they have to learn, and keeps trying and asking questions.”
‘I Never Thought I’d Experience Anything Like This’
If they come away from our 3D ThinkLink training with nothing else, we want the at-risk teens in our classes to feel better about themselves and know they can succeed, despite past failures.
At the end of last month’s Immersion Lab, cadets talked about their favorite projects from the week. Capital Guardian’s Ashley Walker held up an ornament she created with a small light glowing behind a 3D-printed panel that features Looney Toons character Marvin the Martian with hearts and a poem.
“Marvin looks mean, but he’s not,” told her fellow Lab students. “I tend to get to a place where I get so frustrated that I take out my frustrations on the people I love. … I can be mean sometimes, but this is a lot of love.”
Then she read her poem:
I loved you yesterday I love you still I always have I always will
“I’m grateful that I chose to take the 3D class because back home I never had the chance to experience anything like this,” said Ashley. “I really appreciate it and I never thought I’d experience anything like this. I didn’t know it was possible.”
Visiting colleges and businesses where 3D printing is used helps our 3D ThinkLink students understand the real-world value of the skills we teach them.
ChalleNGe Academies are military-style alternative schools that offer at-risk teens a second chance. Most of the students dropped out or were kicked out of regular high schools. So the cadets in our 3D ThinkLink classes probably didn’t expect to have much in common with someone like Nathan Lambert, a top graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Nathan Lambert leads a tour at UNCC
But as Nathan helped lead a tour of the university’s Mechanical Engineering Department on October 17, the SCYCA cadets discovered that he’d hated high school and barely managed to graduate. After six years in the military, which included time as a paratrooper in Afghanistan, he came home with new life experiences and a sense of self-discipline. Nathan decided to become a mechanical engineer, even though it meant going back to school for years.
College is different from high school, Nathan told the cadets, because you have more control over your schedule and you can focus on subjects you’re passionate about. He started at a community college and eventually enrolled at UNCC, where his wife Brittney Lambert is also a mechanical engineering grad student. The Lamberts both urged the cadets to think about going to college, even if – like Nathan – they’d never considered it in high school.
UNCC Mechanical Engineering Professor Dr. Jeff Raquet, who specializes in 3D printing, introduced the cadets to the school’s rocketry team. The students showed the cadets the rocket they’re building for this year’s NASA Student Launch Competition, a project that involves 3D design and printing as well as traditional subtractive manufacturing and many other aspects of engineering. The competitors must design, build and test a reusable rocket that carries a payload a mile high and returns safely to the ground. UNCC won $2,500 for placing second in last year’s competition and is aiming for the top prize of $5,000 this time.
SCYCA Cadets get a close look at one of Duncan-Parnell’s 3D printers
Also during their visit to Charlotte, the SCYCA cadets toured Duncan-Parnell’s office to see a wide variety of the latest 3D printers. The company has hosted many Vocational Orientation events for our students and received YouthQuest’s Community Partner of the Year award in 2016.
The Freestate 3D ThinkLink students got an impromptu lesson in entrepreneurship while they toured The Foundery in Baltimore. As staffer Eric Smith was showing them the machines, some Foundery members struck up conversations with the cadets and told them what they’ve been able to accomplish by using the industrial makerspace as their own workshop.
There’s no need to get involved in shady hustles on the street, they said, when you can use The Foundery’s equipment to turn a few dollars’ worth of raw material into custom-made products worth hundreds. One craftsman showed off a $13 mirror that he’d laser-engraved with his own design to create a sign he would sell for 10 times as much to a local barbershop.
The Foundery’s Eric Smith explains laser engraving to Freestate cadets
Eric reinforced the message, telling the cadets that what’s most valuable is knowledge. He reminded the cadets that the CAD (computer-aided design) skills they use for 3D printing can also be applied to things like computer-controlled cutting and engraving machines. And you don’t set your product’s price based on how long it takes to make it, he said, but on what your knowledge of how to make it is worth to your customer.
One place where students can gain that valuable knowledge is Harford Community College, where the Freestate cadets began their day of Vocational Orientation on October 9. Professor David Antol showed our students the school’s 3D printing lab and explained the opportunities available for them to build on the skills they’re learning in our introductory 3D ThinkLink course.
Freestate cadets in Harford Community College’s 3D printing lab
HCC is one of the few community colleges that emphasizes 3D printing. It offers an associate degree in engineering technology in a program that focuses on applied knowledge of manufacturing processes, along with critical thinking, problem solving and communications skills – all of which are in high demand among employers. The school is also preparing to launch a certificate program in additive manufacturing.
Because HCC offers these programs and is located close to the Freestate campus, it’s an excellent resource for cadets as they make their post-graduation plans.
Like the South Carolina students who visited UNCC, the Capital Guardian cadets’ Vocational Orientation experience included an in-depth look at a major university’s 3D printing operations along with an overview of its mechanical engineering program.
John Fitzell leads a tour of Terrapin Works
The students from DC toured the Terrapin Works facilities at the University of Maryland’s main campus in College Park, guided by Senior Lab Manager John Fitzell. He showed them printers that use plastic filament, similar to those they use in class, along with machines that print with specialized materials such as liquid resin, flexible polymers and even metal. Seeing the many different types of printers and the objects they create helped the students understand the applications for each type of 3D printer.
John also took the cadets through some of the labs in Maryland’s recently opened A. James Clark Hall, explaining the projects engineering students complete as they progress through their course of studies, and how they use 3D printing in those projects.
Tracye Johnson and CGYCA cadets with the BAAM at Local Motors
One kind of 3D printer Terrapin Works does not have is the BAAM (Big Area Additive Manufacturing) machine – a giant device with a print bed that’s seven feet wide and 13 feet long that can make objects up to three feet high. The CGYCA cadets saw that machine during their first stop of the day on October 11, when they visited Local Motors at National Harbor. Local Motors uses the BAAM, along with a huge five-axis milling machine to make Olli, a 3D-printed, self-driving electric shuttle bus.
Besides showing our students how 3D-printed vehicles are made, Local Motors Customer Engagement Manager Tracye Johnson introduced them to e-NABLE. It’s a worldwide project that mobilizes people with 3D printers to make prosthetic hands and arms for people who were born missing fingers or who have lost them due to war, disease or disasters. Tracye encouraged the cadets to think about this and other ways they can use their 3D printing skills to help others.
Vocational Orientation is one of our most important tools for changing the lives of our 3D ThinkLink students. The experiences expand the horizons and spark the imaginations of the at-risk youth we serve. Our foundation is deeply grateful to all the organizations that make these events possible.
Considering what many of the at-risk teens our 3D ThinkLink Initiative serves have been through in their young lives, it’s remarkable that they’ve done as well as they have. Violence, poverty, family upheaval, academic failure, substance abuse and all sorts of physical and emotional trauma are recurring themes in their personal stories. Yet some of them thrive despite it all.
This quality of being able to succeed in the face of adversity is known as resilience.
One of the unexpected discoveries we’ve made during five years of teaching 3D design and printing to troubled kids is that the experience helps many of them become more resilient.
That’s because our program emphasizes more than technical skills. It promotes critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and self-confidence. The trial-and-error process of making 3D-printed objects changes our students’ perception of failure. They come to see it as a natural part of the learning process and a step along the path to eventual success.
PHILLIPS student Henry Spiegelblatt runs a 3D printer in class
“These are students that have failed often in the classroom and they don’t always have the confidence that they can learn and be successful. The 3D class really gives them that,” said Lindsay Harris, director of the Career Partners Program at PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families. PHILLIPS has adapted our 3D ThinkLink curriculum for students with autism at its Annandale and Fairfax, Virginia, schools.
“Trying something hard, being successful and becoming competent in it, going through a process where your design fails but then problem-solving to improve the design so that it prints the way you want it … This all has a major impact on their self-esteem and their confidence that they can contribute, they can learn, they can problem-solve,” she added. “We know from the resiliency literature that having successful experiences is one of the ‘protective factors’ that shield you from stresses in life. So this definitely is something that helps build their resiliency.”
Relationships Overcome Risks
“Resilient people defy stereotypes,” explained Associate Professor Elizabeth Anthony from the Arizona State University School of Social Work. In a 2016 speech, she advocated defining children by their strengths instead of their risks.
Anthony, who’s spent two decades studying how some children manage to do well despite adversity, has found that relationships are a key factor.
“It could be a mentor, for example, who helps a young person identify a gift or a talent, that helps inspire them,” she said.
At-risk kids develop more resilience when someone takes an interest in them and “champions their cause,” Anthony added.
A long-running study of children on the Hawaiian island of Kauai that began more than 60 years ago reinforces Anthony’s point. According to an article by Lucy Maddox on the website Quartz:
The researchers in the Kauai study separated the nearly 700 children involved into two groups. Approximately two-thirds were thought to be at low risk of developing any difficulties, but about one-third were classed as “high-risk”: born into poverty, perinatal stress, family discord (including domestic violence), parental alcoholism or illness. they found that two-thirds of this group went on to develop significant problems. But totally unexpectedly, approximately one-third of the “high-risk” children didn’t. They developed into competent, confident and caring individuals, without significant problems in adult life.
David Kelly does advanced training in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab
“One person can make a big difference,” the study’s principal investigator Lali McCubbin, told Maddox. “A lot of the research supports this idea of relationships, and the need to have a sense of someone that believes in you or someone that supports you – even in a chaotic environment – just having that one person.”
Jonathan Brown and Jamarr Dennis experienced this as a 3D ThinkLink instructors at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy last year, when one of their students was David Kelly, who lives in tough, inner-city part of Baltimore.
“In his family and neighborhood, it would be so easy for him to fall back into what he got away from. But this kid separated himself from all the commotion, all the folks who wanted to continue to go down the wrong path, who tried to use peer pressure and other methods to get him off the path,” said Brown. “His commitment to complete the program was unparalleled. Being in 3D couldn’t have been a better experience for him, to see someone believing in him and being successful doing it.”
“He watched me print out a chess piece and that opened his eyes,” Dennis recalled. “He said I want to do the same thing you just did, but I want to do it from scratch. And then from there on, he just started progressing. He was so excited about it. … It turned on that inspiration, that ambitiousness, that he has.”
“Afterwards he gave me the biggest hug you could give anybody and said thank you for being patient with me, especially teaching me in this class,” added Dennis.
Kelly turned out to be one of the top 3D students in his class at Freestate and went on to attend advanced training in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia, last summer. This month, he enlisted in the Delayed Entry Program and is on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a U.S. Marine.
Competence Creates Confidence
The at-risk teens we serve typically have very limited life experiences, and what experiences they do have are overwhelmingly negative. As a result, their view of what’s possible for them is also limited. That’s why our 3D ThinkLink Initiative is designed to expose these young people to new ideas and experiences. For instance, each class cycle includes Vocational Orientation tours that take students to places they’ve never been and show them how the 3D skills they’re learning in class are used by businesses and universities.
Daniela Aguilar at Vocational Orientation in the University of Maryland Tissue Engineering Lab
“One of the most exciting findings in the last decade or so is that we can change the wiring of the brain through the experiences we expose it to. The right experiences can shape the individual, intrinsic characteristics of a child in a way that will build their resilience,” psychologist Karen Young wrote on the website Hey Sigmund.
Experiences that show at-risk kids they’re capable of doing difficult things can be life-changing, Young added. Developing competence and “a sense of mastery” strengthens their resilience.
3D design and printing seems daunting to our students when they begin class. Most of them have told us they didn’t think they could do it at first. But the teachers guide them step-by-step through the 3D ThinkLink curriculum, showing them how to solve problems through critical thinking and iterative improvement. Although they experience plenty of failures while designing and printing 3D objects, they learn from those mistakes and keep trying until they’re successful.
The overarching lesson of our program that failure is not final – in 3D printing and in life. It’s gratifying when we see at-risk kids take that lesson to heart.
One of those who did is Daniela Aguilar from Washington, DC, who was in our 3D class at Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy during the first half of last year. She fell one test short of earning her General Equivalency Diploma (GED), so the school asked her to come back for the next class cycle to serve as peer mentor, which gave her the chance to stay on campus and finish her GED.
Daniela Aguilar presents the 3D-printed clock she made to Miss Black Maryland USA Saidah Grimes
“She was young — 16 when she came to us in January – and had a difficult home life. That’s one of the reasons we allowed her to become a peer mentor, to keep her in a better environment for a little while longer to accomplish her goal of completing her GED,” said Keith Hammond, who teaches 3D ThinkLink classes at Capital Guardian.
When Miss Black Maryland USA Saidah Grimes visited the campus last August, a counselor asked if Hammond’s class could make a 3D-printed keepsake. Because Aguilar had completed 3D ThinkLink training in the previous class cycle, Hammond assigned her the task of designing and printing a customized clock for the VIP guest.
“In the beginning, she thought being back at Capital Guardian as a peer mentor would make people think of her as a failure because she hadn’t passed her GED. But because she got the spotlight by knowing 3D printing, making the clock and presenting it in front of everyone, she felt better about herself,” said Hammond. “When she got that positive reinforcement because she knew how to do the 3D program, I think it made her understand internally that she is worth the effort.”
These students from the 2018 spring class cycle earned $500 scholarships for these essays about their 3D ThinkLink experience.
By Bradley Berry
Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
3D printing has taught me how pressing a couple buttons can create a masterpiece. I’m very eager to see how I can apply 3D printing to real world careers. I feel that in a decade or two, every family in the United States will have a 3D printer inside their household. Many new jobs are surfacing due to 3D printing. I learned how using certain verbs such as extrude can change a 2D object into a 3D object that you can manipulate and even print.
3D printing has taught me how programming can be used to create physical and even moving pieces of art. I have become rather fascinated by 3D printing. I am amazed at what you can accomplish with a computer, a printer and an active imagination. I truly believe that by 2020 3D printers will be a commonly used household item! This 3D printing ThinkLink class is preparing me for our future in a fun, yet challenging way. I love the fact that it gets my imagination going.
Taking 3D printing has sparked my creativity in a whole new way, not just by giving me freedom to run wild but by teaching me how to do so. This class has made me want to expand my knowledge by attending programs that teach me about 3D printers and the different parts, how to build them, take them apart, and even what the different parts’ purposes are. I would say my favorite part has been watching a small simple 3D printer print just as good as a high tech big printer. I am considering going to college at Harford Community College for an engineering associate’s degree.
I understand that this scholarship is for a select few but I feel that I will expand my connections in the realm of programs and 3D printing itself that I couldn’t find elsewhere. I feel that I actually excel at 3D printing at the point to where I’ve become passionate about this and want to go far in this field. I have learned a lot and still have much to learn and I feel that this scholarship will benefit me greatly.
I have used some different techniques to see what possibilities may arise and I have often found myself creating new, crazier things. This program has changed my mind on what I want to do after Freestate. I never had an actual passion in life but I want this to be my career. I want to create and show others the possibility of 3D printing.
In conclusion, 3D printing has changed my life forever by opening doors that otherwise would’ve remain closed. It’s crazy how a few months can affect the rest of your life. For that I would like to thank Freestate and the YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink program. Even if I don’t get picked I will still hold the knowledge obtained so far.
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By Trevor Haney
Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
The 3D ThinkLink experience has had a very positive impact on my time at Freestate. It has helped me in the program and taught me valuable skills. The 3D printing program has encouraged me and helped give me an extra reason to stay in this program. The 3D ThinkLink program is a great experience for the teens in this program.
Being in the 3D printing program has given me great encouragement about the Freestate program and my future with 3D printing. When I started Freestate I didn’t have enthusiasm about my life. Getting accepted into 3D printing was one of the first things that brought me hope at Freestate. In every class we have, I learn something new, which makes me very intrigued about the next class.
The class/program has helped me in many ways. Its helped time go by faster in Freestate by being in class every week and going on fun trips. It’s also helped me stay positive and push forward while I am here. Making good decisions in Freestate and staying on track has helped me to be able to remain in the 3D printing program. It has also helped me escape the boring life of the barracks. These are just a few of the ways this program has helped me through these past months.
I have learned many valuable skills while using the 3D ThinkLink software. I learned things like how to simply draw a circle or any 2D shape and then extrude it to make it 3D. I also learned more complicated things like taking the 3D circle (cylinder) and using offset to make it hollow. With these skills I have learned, I plan to one day hopefully own my own 3D printer and make many things. I also want to join the military and possibly find a job there that uses the special skills ThinkLink has taught me.
When the cadets and I first started the 3D classes, many people thought they were “dumb” or “boring”, but now everyone is interested and loves going to 3D class. It has improved their lives by teaching them that using their imagination and taking many steps while being creative can slowly, but surely, turn into something that was just an image in their mind at first, into something greater. It also showed them that hard work pays off and that being good in Freestate can get them accepted into a program like 3D. They can remember that and use it in their everyday lives.
In conclusion, 3D printing has greatly affected my life. It has taught me valuable skills that I’ll use in the future. It also has helped me remain positive and given me another reason to push forward with Freestate. This does not only help me, but any at-risk youth the 3D ThinkLink program serves.
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By Dante Isom
Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Coming into the room I thought that 3D printing would be very simplistic and easy. It was quite the opposite. There were so many things that I had to remember. There were all sorts of things I needed to know like how big the object was, how the object would look when it was printed, and what the proportions were. The thing that I thought would be so easy turned into one of the hardest things I had to do in a while.
3D printing isn’t something that everyone can master right off the bat. When we started with the simple stuff like making a single circle and naming it so that we could make it hide or show back up on the screen it seemed simple until you started to have a lot of objects and you forgot which object was what. The main problem I kept running into was forgetting to name the object that I needed to color or move and I would have to go back a few steps to make it work the way it was supposed to.
The personal impact that 3D printing had on me is that it made me challenge myself to not only think about what I had to do but to envision it in my head and make it a reality on the program Moment of Inspiration. Moment of Inspiration (MoI for short) is a program that you can use to make blueprints of 3D objects and make them move or design them in any way that you need them to look. 3D printing made me think about my future in the terms that I am thinking of taking up Graphic Design as a career and I could implement the things that I learned here in the future.
While I was in 3D printing, we went to a Science Expo in DC and I helped show how a 3D scanner worked and how you could scan an object and it would show up in the screen the way it would appear any other way as a solid. While we were at the expo I had the opportunity to walk around and observe the other booths that were there. My favorite booth was when we used chemicals to separate the genes from a strawberry in a test tube container and we could see the process happening and it was really cool. Another thing that I did at the expo was I went to a booth involving the science of taste and how your sensory organs worked together. In the experiment I ate a cinnamon flavored jelly bean while holding my nose. When I was holding my nose it tasted like a gooey mess and then when I removed my hand from my nose and took a breath it actually had a taste and it wasn’t as bad anymore.
In the end my 3D ThinkLink experience was a positive experiment for me because it shone some light of a future opportunity for me working in the graphic design industry or something that could involve 3D printing because I would already know how to work with the 3D printers.
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By Jacob Foote
Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
My experience in 3D printing this year at the Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy was awesome. On the first trip to the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington, DC Convention Center, I learned a lot about 3D printing and myself. You can scan anything with the 3D camera and the software and put that on the computer to virtually print it. Then you can adjust it and make it look like a replica or add anything you like to change the design. I thought that was kind of amazing. It was also amazing that I learned all this very quickly before the guests arrived.
I also learned that you can make a lot of cool stuff for people with disabilities to help them out with their everyday needs. If I am selected to continue in the 3D printing post-residential program after I graduate, I will work to create a 3D printed wheelchair that is electric and easy for people to get around in. It will be lighter and cheaper so more people can afford to have the best quality things. At Local Motors they showed me a lot of stuff. It was fun to learn and see what they created. I had a lot of fun at Local Motors. They have a very large 3D printer big enough to make a car, a bus, a scooter, and even a chair. Basically I now know you can really create anything from a 3D printer. I saw them at Local Motors creating their electric bus named Olli. They added lots of technology to help the disabled people be more independent and safe.
The 3D ThinkLink class helped me a lot with my stay at the Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy. It showed me how to present my work and show little kids in a way that they will understand 3D printing. At the science festival it felt good to show the kids and their parents how to scan shoes and the stuffed animals. Learning about the “smooth” printers at the University of Maryland was cool too. If I go to school there I am thinking of a lot of things I can print.
In conclusion, I think this class was excellent and it showed me that I have the skills to continue my education and use it in my future as a 3D designer.
“Teacher training was especially significant this time,” said YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks. “The cross-pollination of project ideas from the five different sites using our 3D ThinkLink curriculum was very helpful to our new teachers and rejuvenating to our experienced teachers.”
Germaine Rasberry and Ikeya Robinson set up a 3D printer
The group was evenly split between first-timers and veterans. We were especially pleased to welcome Germaine Rasberry and Ikeya Robinson from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which is reactivating its 3D ThinkLink classes after a hiatus last year. The other newcomers were Nicole Atchley and Maxine Brown-Davis from Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, Ellen Brigham from the PHILLIPS School in Fairfax, Virginia, and Hugo Duran from the PHILLIPS School in Annandale.
The returning teachers who brought their experience and insights to the training sessions were Jonathon Brown and Jamarr Dennis from Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, CGYCA’s La-Toya Hamilton and Keith Hammond, and Jim Fields and Joseph Phillips from the PHILLIPS schools.
Much of the training time was devoted to reviewing our curriculum, which is built around an innovative noun/verb approach to teaching Moment of Inspiration, a professional-level CAD (computer-aided design) program. This method makes it easy for students to understand 3D design concepts in much the same way that they learn language.
Tom Meeks reviews 3D ThinkLink curriculum updates with teachers
Each lesson introduces a “noun” – a 2D object such as a circle or rectangle – and a “verb” – an action in the CAD software that turns the noun into a 3D object like a pipe or box. The more nouns and verbs the students learn, the more complex their 3D creations can be.
Along with mastering Moment of Inspiration, our teachers must be able to operate 3D printers so students can transform their ideas into tangible objects. It’s essential for them to see how their designs turn out, evaluate problems, make improvements and print again until they’re satisfied.
This is how we teach at-risk kids not to fear mistakes, but to see them as a natural part of the learning process. To do that effectively, we need 3D printers that are simple, fast and reliable, so students don’t get bogged down waiting to see results. That’s why we work to keep up with the latest hardware innovations and find the printers that best meet the needs of our students and teachers.
We are in the process of transitioning from the 3D Systems Cube printers we used the launch our program five years ago to newer, more versatile machines.
The teachers spent a full day working with PowerSpec printers. After setting up and calibrating the machines, they ran test prints and learned common troubleshooting techniques. At the end of training, we gave a PowerSpec i3 Plus printer to each of our five class sites for evaluation.
Lynda Mann gathers ideas about selecting students
The final day of training included a “teachers teach teachers” session. The experienced instructors demonstrated some of the benchmark projects such as cookie cutters and personalized keychain tags that students must complete periodically to show that they understand the nouns and verbs they’ve covered so far. As they go deeper into the curriculum, the projects become more complex.
Besides sessions about the nuts and bolts of 3D design and printing, there was plenty of lively discussion about the best ways to serve the at-risk kids in our classes. It was an opportunity for the teachers to get to know each other and to understand the various needs and strengths of the students. They learned what’s unique about each partner program, as well as what they have in common.
YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann led discussions about best practices for selecting students for 3D classes, and ways to improve our program and meet the needs of our partner schools. The teachers gave valuable feedback about what’s going well in their classes and what needs improvement.
The February training sessions laid the foundation for what promises to be the best year ever for our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. The teachers returned to their schools energized and ready to apply what they learned in our lab.
Most important, this was a chance to remind everyone – whether they’ve been working with us for years or are just starting – that the real purpose of our program goes far beyond teaching 3D printing. It’s all about using the technology as a vehicle to develop the essential life skills at-risk youth lack. In the process of mastering the CAD software and printers, our students learn that their failures are not final and they can accomplish more than they ever imagined.
One of the many highlights of 2017 for our foundation was being nominated as Public Service Innovator of the Year by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce for our 3D ThinkLink Initiative in March. The months that followed were filled with examples of our program’s value in building better lives for at-risk youth.
“Our innovation is not that we introduce kids to 3D design and printing, it’s how we use this technology as a vehicle to teach the important life skills at-risk youth lack, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and the confidence to fail,” said YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann. “3D printing is perfectly suited for showing kids who’ve failed in school that mistakes are part of the learning process – that they are the beginning of something good, not the end of something bad.”
Greater Washington Innovation Awards Showcase in March
Being a Greater Washington Innovation Awards nominee gave us the opportunity to tell regional leaders about YouthQuest’s life-changing work with young people like Aunya’ Jones, a top student in our 3D ThinkLink class at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.
“Before 3D printing, I did not believe in myself, and I had accepted the opinion that I was not good enough,” Aunya’ wrote in an essay that earned her a $500 YouthQuest scholarship to continue her education.
“3D printing has helped guide me into making better decisions and gave me a new life skill along the way. It has really helped me understand my self-worth because now I know I can design my own future,” she explained. “I now see the bigger picture to my life’s problems and I’m not afraid to face them.”
In his essay, LaMarcus described how the 3D ThinkLink experience changed his way of thinking. He said it helped him control his anger and improve his concentration.
“When I come to class, my whole mood changes,” LaMarcus wrote. “I become happy because I know that I’m in a good place.”
LaMarcus also said our class brought out the creativity he used to keep “all bottled in” and taught him how to “think about stuff differently.”
A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT
Aunya’ and LaMarcus are also two of the ChalleNGe Cadets who took part advanced training this year in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab at our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia.
Advanced Training in the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab in June
The June lab sessions focused on our project to train 3D ThinkLink graduates as Youth Mentors, giving them the skills and equipment to teach others about 3D printing and serve as positive role models in their communities. LaMarcus was there along with fellow Capital Guardian Cadet Adrian Vasquez, and David Kelly and Stephen Brown from Freestate.
Adrian told us during lab week that he used to have problems in school and our class helped get him back on track.
“I would get good grades, but my mind would always be on something else. So I got caught up with stuff I wasn’t supposed to be around. But ever since I started 3D, my mind has been nowhere near that stuff,” he said. “It’s like therapy, a type of therapy. Working on 3D designs keeps me focused, not on the other nonsense stuff.”
In December, we tried something different by taking our advanced training out of our lab and into the classroom at Camp Schwartz on the Capital Guardian campus. Cadets Keyonte Alston, Quadaija Hudgens and Alexander Price honed their design and printing skills during three days of training. A couple of weeks later, they graduated from Capital Guardian along with four other Cadets who completed our 3D ThinkLink class; Divine Carr, Markus Kemp, Keith Pettiford, and Herman Signou.
Throughout 2017, we repeatedly saw proof that what works for the teens in ChalleNGe academies also works for at-risk kids in other kinds of programs we serve.
PHILLIPS students and teachers explore the 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab
The PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families has seen great success tailoring our curriculum for students on the autism spectrum. PHILLIPS was so pleased with the results of last year’s 3D ThinkLink pilot project at its Annandale, Virginia, school that it expanded the class to its Fairfax campus this year. Some of the students from last year’s class are now involved in a 3D printing club at the Annandale campus, too. It was a pleasure to have PHILLIPS students visit our 3D ThinkLink Creativity Lab in April.
It’s also been gratifying to watch the growth of our partnership with Horizons Hampton Roads, an academic, cultural, and recreational program for kids from low-income families in Virginia’s Tidewater area. We started with last year’s Summer Enrichment Program, providing a 3D ThinkLink class for sixth-graders at a single site in Portsmouth. This summer, the project expanded to sites in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, reaching a total of 32 kids. The students were “engaged and challenged” by our curriculum, according to the annual report from Horizons Hampton Roads, and teachers were excited to try some new projects they’d developed that used 3D design and printing to support STEM lessons, such as creating a paddlewheel for a ferryboat.
“The 3D printing was a great experience,” HHR teacher Franklin Baker reported. “From the design portion to troubleshooting, our students had to problem-solve from the first step to the last.”
Highly skilled, enthusiastic teachers are the key to our program’s success. That’s why our teacher training sessions are so important. Teachers from several partner programs came to our lab for a week in February and October this year to learn about curriculum changes, software updates, and new printers and materials.
“We want to give them the best tools and motivate them to learn how to use those tools so they can be the best teachers for the at-risk students we serve,” explained YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks.
A YEAR OF GIVING
Giving back to the community is one of YouthQuest’s core values.
One of the ways our organization gives back locally is by sponsoring the annual Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition. This was the sixth straight year we’ve provided the prize money for the contest, which challenges teens in Loudoun County, Virginia, to identify problems in their community and implement solutions.
Top 10 teams in the 2017 Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition
Kriti Ganotra from Broad Run High School earned the $1,000 top prize this year for developing a free device that detects computer network vulnerabilities.
“I want to bring it to Loudoun County, using high schoolers to create a community where everyone is educated about cyber-bullying, cyber-security, cyber-threats and technology,” Kriti said in an interview with Loudoun Youth. “I want to bring this to every single house and eventually patent this into something that we can develop all around the nation.”
YouthQuest supporters also gave back generously this year to make our 12th annual golf tournament a success. Even though it rained for the first time in the history of our signature fundraising event, more than 100 players and volunteers turned out at Trump National Golf Club on August 7.
We were especially pleased to welcome Insperity, Pure Storage and ePlus as new sponsors this year.
For the first time, the winning team received 3D-printed trophies that were designed and produced in our lab by Tom Meeks.
YouthQuest Co-Founder Allen Cage putts at the golf tournament in August
The tournament’s Silent Auction raised more money than ever and we collected an additional $2,500 through a new fundraising tool, the Giving Tree. The tree displayed at the post-tournament reception and the August 3 VIP Reception hosted by Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons was decorated with tags that were 3D printed in our lab. Each tag gave donors an easy way to provide equipment, supplies and other resources for our 3D ThinkLink students.
Also at the reception, we presented our 2017 Volunteer of the Year Award to Tammy Haug, National Sales Manager for AOC Solutions. Not only does Tammy volunteer at the golf tournament every year, she assisted us with our 10th Anniversary Celebration in Chantilly and the 3D printing workshops we conducted at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Anaheim, California, in 2015.
Our 2017 Community Partner Award went to Copy General in Sterling, Virginia, whose constant support for YouthQuest includes printing the program for the golf tournament every year. IMADE3D won the Strategic Partner Award. We’ve worked with IMADE3D since 2015 and are big fans of their JellyBox 3D printer kit. We have several of the printers in our lab and our advanced students always enjoy building and using them.
Volunteers in the clubhouse at the golf tournament in August
Our donors also gave generously on November 28, when we participated for the second year in #GivingTuesday, a global celebration of philanthropy. We also became part of AmazonSmile this year, giving Amazon users the ability to select YouthQuest as their charity. For every purchase they make, the AmazonSmile Foundation makes a donation to us.
2018 promises to be another year filled with innovations and expansion for us. We’re eager to start the next round of teacher training in February, as that will be a major step toward reactivating our 3D ThinkLink program at South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which has been on hiatus for a year. In previous years, SCYCA has been our largest 3D class site.
We are also working toward opening the 3D ThinkLInk Creativity Lab for use by the general public and we’re planning a new fundraiser that we expect will be quite lucrative for us as well as for one lucky raffle winner. Stay tuned for details in the new year.
There’s no need to wait to help us, though. We welcome contributions at any time of the year. Please click here or contact Operations Manager Juan Louro at juan.louro@youthquestfoundation.org or 703-234-4633.
“We want to give them the best tools and motivate them to learn how to use those tools so they can be the best teachers for the at-risk students we serve,” explained YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks.
“I’m always happy when I come out here,” said Keith, who’s been a 3D ThinkLink teacher from the beginning in 2013, when we launched our project to use 3D printing as a vehicle for teaching critical thinking and problem solving skills to at-risk youth.
Teachers learn about the M3D Micro
He praised the individual attention Tom provided during the training sessions, which included an introduction to new equipment such as the M3D Micro printer. The Micro is more versatile than the 3D Systems Cube printers we’ve used in classrooms for years and gives teachers more control over printing options.
Tom and the teachers also reviewed the new structure of the 3D ThinkLink curriculum. Based on the results from previous class cycles, we’ve reorganized the curriculum into blocks of four to five lessons, each of which which culminates with a benchmark project that involves all the skills students should have mastered by that point.
Jamarr, who’s in his second class cycle of 3D ThinkLink teaching, thinks the new structure will help his students at Freestate stay on pace from week to week. He said the benchmark projects should show him if students have missed something important before they move ahead in the curriculum.
Tom Meeks introduces Moment of Inspiration 3D design software to Freestate’s Jonathan Brown
Jonathan, our newest 3D ThinkLink teacher at Freestate, was hesitant to get involved in the project at first because he wasn’t sure he could devote the time and effort it takes to learn about the software and hardware. But when he spent a week in our lab as a chaperone for two Freestate Cadets who completed advanced training this summer, he was convinced.
“When I saw how quick the kids grasped it and how much fun they had with it, I said I’m absolutely coming back,” Jonathan recalled.
As soon as a teaching position opened up, he volunteered. Within weeks, Jonathan was back in our lab working closely with Tom to become a 3D ThinkLink teacher.
“I’m here early every day because I’m looking forward to what we’re going to pick up today. And Tom has matched all of my intensity,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of trying to be creative and seeing where my mind takes it.”
Tom will travel to the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Eastover next week to provide training for new teachers.
Then she read her poem:
