Tag: Freestate ChalleNGe Academy

VIDEO: What’s Ahead for YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative

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Keith Hammond and Tom Meeks with Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy cadets 2013

With a new cycle of 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes starting, it’s a good time to take a look at where our STEM education project has been and where it’s going.

What began with a group of eight graduates at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy a year ago has grown to include three programs and three dozen students who will receive 34.5 hours of instruction in 3D design and printing.

The South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy is holding classes for the first time — joining the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy, which introduced classes last fall, and Freestate, where the YouthQuest Foundation launched this project last spring.

3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training
3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training

Instructors from all three schools spent a week at YouthQuest headquarters last month preparing for this class cycle. While the teachers work in the classrooms, YouthQuest’s Director of Instruction Tom Meeks will lead the sessions via video conferencing from a central location. Tom will also visit each class so he can get to know the students in person and reinforce the message that the things they learn in class will help them make better decisions.

As our 3D ThinkLink Initiative grows, so does the support we receive from our strategic partner, 3D Systems, which provides the Cube printers, Sense scanners and Sculpt software students use in class.

The South Carolina students will tour the company’s Rock Hill headquarters in June as part of their Vocational Orientation Day, which shows them how the skills they learn in class are used in the working world.

We also are teaming up with 3D Systems for an exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival, the nation’s largest celebration of STEM, next month in Washington, DC.

Students from Freestate and Capital Guardian will participate in interactive demonstrations of 3D scanning, modeling and printing. They will have the chance to tell other students what our classes have taught them about solving problems by thinking creatively. When they’re not at our booth, they’ll be exploring the scientific wonderland of exhibits that will fill the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

USASEFOfficial_Partner_Logo_croppedVisit our exhibit at the USA Science and Engineering Festival April 26-27. Participants include more than 750 of the world’s top scientific and engineering societies, universities, government agencies, tech companies and STEM outreach and community organizations. We’ll be in Hall A, Booth 1136 – right next to 3D Systems. It’s free!

The festival is sure to be the kind of life-enriching experience our foundation strives to provide for at-risk youth. It’s also an excellent opportunity to tell our story to people in the STEM education and additive manufacturing communities who can help support YouthQuest’s mission.

One of our immediate priorities is to begin creating a 3D fabrication laboratory equipped with software and printers that can do more than the ones our students use in class. Two students from each of the classes that are now starting will be selected to spend a week in the lab in July, where they will delve deeper into 3D printing and learn to work with materials other than plastic, such as clay and even candy.

Eventually, community groups and individuals will be able to use the facility for a fee, to help cover the costs of our educational programs.

Another goal for this year is to expand the 3D ThinkLink Initiative beyond the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. YouthQuest President and Co-Founder Lynda Mann is leading an outreach effort to partner with other youth organizations that work in underserved communities throughout America.

Click on the video below for more about where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, click here to donate or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

Teachers Complete 3D ThinkLink Initiative Training

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YouthQuest 3D ThinkLink Initiative teacher training

Instructors from three National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Programs spent the week of Feb. 3 preparing for the next round of The YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes.

They completed our first teacher training course at YouthQuest’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va. The sessions led by the Foundation’s Training Director Tom Meeks and President Lynda Mann covered everything from brain development and critical thinking skills to the use of Moment of Inspiration and Cubify Sculpt design software to operating a Cube 3D printer.

Our unique STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education project uses 3D printing to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By learning to think differently, at-risk teens who once gave up on school become re-engaged in their education and discover how to make better decisions to achieve their goals in life.

Ivan Tucker and Joi Toliver from South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy look at a Cube 3D printer
Click the picture to see a photo gallery.

During a busy week of training, the teachers did everything their students will do in class. Hands-on projects included using basic shapes to create an Egyptian level and designing, printing and assembling a set of gears. The 15-unit curriculum wrapped up with a creative exercise in which they manipulated images captured by a Sense 3D scanner.

The teachers also got an overview of the many vocational opportunities for their students. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is used in such diverse fields as automotive and aerospace engineering, cooking, medicine, architecture and art.

The 3D ThinkLink Initiative was launched at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy early last year and expanded to include the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy last fall. Our newest partner is the South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy. All three programs will begin 3D classes in March.

Congratulations to the first-class teachers in our first class!

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Rikiesha Metzger
Tim Jackson

Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
Keith Hammond
Herman Lantz

South Carolina Youth ChalleNGe Academy
Joi Toliver
Ivan Tucker

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to support the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, click here to donate or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

3D-Printed Ornaments Show ThinkLink Students’ Creativity

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Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy Cadet Dalonta Crudup

There are some very special ornaments on display this Christmas season in the homes of the teenagers who completed the latest 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes sponsored by The YouthQuest Foundation at Freestate and Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academies.

As a final assignment, YouthQuest Training Director Tom Meeks had the Cadets in the Maryland and District of Columbia ChalleNGe programs use their imaginations to design and fabricate any kind of ornament they could dream up. The idea was to encourage them to be creative and to produce something meaningful they could take home to their families after graduation.

Some of the ornaments are reflections of the changes these at-risk teens have gone through during the 22-week residential programs operated by the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Foundation.

Perhaps the most poignant creation is Capital Guardian Cadet Dalonta Crudup’s ornament.

He wanted to make something that “would just stand out.” His inspiration came from his best friend, Malik Spears – know to all as “Wiz” – who was fatally shot in Northeast DC this summer, just before Dalonta entered the ChalleNGe program.

“This is like a tombstone,” he said, holding the circular object that bears a heartfelt message. “I made this to show appreciation from me to his family.”

“He was like a brother and I was always with him every single day,” Dalonta explained. “It says: Rest in Peace, Wiz. We miss you. We thought of you with love today but that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday and the days before that too.”

Some of Dalonta’s fellow Cadets from the District of Columbia also knew Wiz.

“It meant a lot to the class,” he said. Although it was “very hard” to complete the project, when his classmates saw what he’d done, they realized they could come up with their own creations, too.

“It was a lot of steps. We had to keep switching it to get it to work,” recalled Dalonta, who plans to study math and business in college and eventually pursue a career in architecture.

In the first version of his design, the raised letters on the ornament were too small so they got “all smooshed up together.” Over three weeks of classes, he kept revising his design until he was satisfied with the results.

The project helped reinforce one of the 3D ThinkLink Initiative’s most important lessons: Make improvements step-by step until you achieve your goal.

When he started the program this summer, Dalonta was “very sad … very frustrated” about the killing of his best friend. Making the memorial ornament helped him get through his grief, he said.

At Capital Guardian’s graduation ceremony this month, Dalonta was honored as the Most Improved Cadet in his class of more than 50.

A Christmas Rose for Grandma

Capital Guardian Cadet Kenneth Cruz holds the rose lantern her created.
Capital Guardian Cadet Kenneth Cruz holds the rose lantern her created.

Capital Guardian Cadet Kenneth Cruz also had someone close to him in mind when he created his design.

The cylindrical ornament has an elaborate rose pattern cut into it, which casts a warm glow when a small light is placed inside. He unveiled the gift for his grandmother on stage at the DC Armory during the Dec. 13 graduation ceremony.

“I made this lantern with a rose on it for her for Christmas, but I guess I’m giving it to her now,” Kenneth announced as the crowd laughed and cheered.

Cadet Gerry Rubi said that of all the projects the 3D ThinkLink class did, making an ornament taught him the most because he was free to create his own design.

Using Moment of Inspiration modeling software, Gerry began with a simple cube. He removed all the corners, added designs to each face, scooped out the top to form a bowl and put a slot in the side for storing keys or other small items. The Cube 3D printer then turned his idea into a unique ornament that’s sure to become a family heirloom.

“It gave me a chance to play around with all the software and all the creativity I can put into it,” he said.

“One of the main things it taught me is there’s a lot of ways to do one thing,” added Gerry, who plans to become a civil engineer and received the top award, Cadet of the Cycle, at Capital Guardian’s graduation.

The 3D-printed rose lantern made by Cadet Kenneth Cruz
The 3D-printed rose lantern made by Cadet Kenneth Cruz

“It’s a wonderful program for the Cadets,” said Keith Hammond, Capital Guardian’s Manager of Information Systems, who helped teach the 3D classes.

“They now know that they are creative,” he continued. “Before this class, they may have had creativity bottled up inside them but because they couldn’t draw, they weren’t labeled an artist, they felt like they couldn’t be creative and they couldn’t identify themselves that way. Now, with this class and with the tools that we’re using, they can be creative and they know they have an outlet for that creativity.”

YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative gives at-risk teens an advantage as they enter a workforce where STEM skills are in high demand. The classes prepare students to successfully compete for a growing array of technology-related jobs that don’t require a college degree or to continue their education in one of the STEM disciplines. In addition, the program builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills that help graduates achieve their goals no matter what career path they choose.

Click here to make a donation or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

VIDEO: 3D ThinkLink Initiative Students Graduate From Youth ChalleNGe Academies

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Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Class 41 graduates

The Cadets in our 3D ThinkLink Initiative classes have just taken a giant step toward a successful future as they completed the 22-week residential program at Freestate and Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academies.

Eighteen young people were honored at award presentations and graduation ceremonies in Maryland and Washington, DC, last week.

Recognizing that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education is essential in today’s workforce, the YouthQuest Foundation developed the 3D ThinkLink Initiative and teamed up with the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, which operates residential academies where dropouts get a second chance to earn a high school degree and prepare for employment or continued education.

Launched at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy early this year and expanded to include the District of Columbia’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy this fall, the unique project uses 3D design and printing to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills to students who once gave up on school.

Selected Cadets receive 25 hours of training that supplements their regular math and science curriculum. Instructors have found that students in these classes gain confidence and become more engaged in all their other courses. In addition, the Cadets discover that learning to think creatively has benefits beyond the classroom. The skills and values they develop will help them achieve their goals no matter what career path they choose.

Several Cadets from the 3D project received special recognition during their graduation ceremonies. Cadet of the Cycle awards, the highest honor a Cadet can earn, went to Gerry Rubi from Capital Guardian and Jennifer Contreras from Freestate. Capital Guardian’s Dalonta Crudup and Freestate’s Trinisia Reese were named Most Improved Cadets.  Many others received scholarships for their leadership and academic achievements.

In the second phase of the ChalleNGe program, graduates return to their communities to continue their education or begin careers under the guidance of mentors who will serve as their role models, advisers and advocates for a year.

Congratulations to all the graduates!

Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy
Jose Buruca
Dalonta Crudup
Kenneth Cruz
Albert Fuller
TaShawna Richardson
Gerry Rubi
Dejah Stanley
Niema Travers

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Jennifer Contreras
Miguel Espinal-Herrera
Jaasiel Headly
Kameron Johnson
Sanfa Kanneh
John Mitchell
Tanae Molden
Trinisia Reese
Terrell Saddler
Christopher Shade

3D ThinkLink Initiative Gears Up at ChalleNGe Academies

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Tom Meeks 3D printing Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadets
Tom Meeks talks with Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadets about the 3D-printed gears they designed.

The 3D printing classes YouthQuest Foundation Training Director Tom Meeks teaches are truly multi-dimensional. While his students work on understanding the science and math of additive manufacturing, they also learn lessons in life.

During one recent session, Cadets from Freestate and Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academies were creating sets of gears when the subject suddenly shifted to Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb.

Tom told the class that Edison – who was once labeled “too stupid to learn anything” by a teacher – built about 1,000 unsuccessful prototypes before finally making a bulb that worked. When a reporter asked how it felt to fail 1,000 times, Edison replied: “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.”

The story resonated with the Cadets, most of whom had failed in school and dropped out. They realized that quitting high school was a mistake and they enrolled in the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program to change their lives by resuming their education.

Step by step, YouthQuest’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative is showing at-risk teens that mistakes are opportunities to learn and improve.

Tom Meeks Moment of Inspiration software
Tom Meeks Moment of Inspiration software to show how to design a part to hold a gear.

Instructors at Maryland’s Freestate and Capital Guardian, serving the District of Columbia, choose promising Cadets to take part in the 3D ThinkLink Initiative, which YouthQuest sponsors to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education.

“It’s really important to the YouthQuest mission that we not just do 3D printing as an end in itself. It’s got to be integrated into what the students are learning,” explained Tom.

For example, the Cadets used math concepts such as ratios in designing their gears with Moment of Inspiration software. They also had to apply physics and engineering principles to make sure the parts would work together correctly after being fabricated by a Cube 3D printer.

“Is this stuff easy? No,” Tom told a class as some Cadets stumbled through the gear-building steps. “Why were you chosen? Because you can do hard things. I know you can do it!”

‘Your Failures Are Not Final’

The first assignment for these students was to create a cookie cutter. The results ranged from nearly perfect to way, way off.

Instead of the planned star-shaped outline, a couple of objects came off the printer as solid blocks of plastic. Tom playfully declared the botched cookie cutters to be “cookie mashers” and said he was glad to see them because they helped make the most important point about these classes.

first 3D printed objects cookie cutters
Mixed bag: The first cookie cutters Cadets created.

“Your failures are not final. You can redesign it and print it again.”

It’s a message Tom repeats frequently as he encourages the Cadets to work together and solve problems through creative thinking.

“It’s really a ‘thinking class’ more than a 3D printing class,” he said.

“We want them to learn to love learning. We want them to know that when they do fail, they can analyze that failure, study that failure, and then go on to make changes that make a positive result in their lives.”

‘These 3D Classes Are Awesome’

The project is a tremendous confidence-builder for Cadets, according to Keith Hammond, Manager of Information Systems at Capital Guardian and former Placement Coordinator at Freestate.

Cadets from Freestate and Capital Guardian combined class
Cadets from Freestate and Capital Guardian meet in a combined class Oct. 26.

“They’ve gone from being the kids nobody wanted in class, who got kicked out of school,” said Keith, who has been deeply involved in the classes since the pilot project at Freestate early this year. “Now they’re in the top 1 percent of their student population because they know something that 99 percent of the kids do not know. They understand 3D printing – additive manufacturing – and they’ve been successful at it. So now they carry themselves with confidence in all their other classes.”

Freestate science instructor Timmy Jackson has seen Cadets who didn’t seem interested in academics at first become more engaged, thanks to the 3D ThinkLink Initiative. He recalled one in particular who started out as “maybe a C student in science.”

“Once he came to the 3D program, he became basically like an expert. He was actually giving some hints to the instructor,” he said.

“These 3D classes are awesome for the kids,” he added. “Some of them are already talking about this as a future. They want to know how they can get involved in it once they graduate.”

Keith has heard the same praise from other instructors at Freestate and Capital Guardian.

“They say, ‘Wow, the 3D kids are really stepping up their game now,’” he beamed. “So I can challenge them more and they’re not as frustrated when they fail because they’ve understood what Tom is teaching them: Failure can lead to success. It’s just one step.”

The Next Steps

YouthQuest has invited other National Guard Youth ChalleNGe programs in the mid-Atlantic region to start classes at their Academies early next year. Next summer, select students from all the programs will be invited to the Foundation’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va., for 40 hours of immersion training in the 3D ThinkLink Lab.

If you would like to make a contribution to keep this life-changing educational program growing, click here to donate or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

3D ThinkLink Initiative: Fund a Lab, Change a Life

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Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy Cadets Kenneth Cruz and Niema Travers work together to assemble a 3D-printed level.

The YouthQuest Foundation’s 3D ThinkLink Initiative is growing, and so is the need for resources to support this important STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education experience for at-risk youth.

Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza in 3D printing class
Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza was in the first 3D printing class at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.

We are serving twice as many students this fall as we did in the pilot project at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in the spring. 3D printing classes are being conducted at Maryland’s Freestate and the newly opened Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy, which serves the District of Columbia. And that’s just the beginning. We have invited four more National Guard Youth ChalleNGe programs in the mid-Atlantic region to start classes at their Academies early next year.

This means hundreds of high school dropouts who decide to turn their lives around will have the opportunity to learn about the revolutionary technology of additive manufacturing. Smaller groups at each Academy will be chosen for 25 hours of advanced training as members of 3D ThinkLink Teams. Starting next summer, select students from those teams will be invited to YouthQuest’s headquarters in Chantilly, Va., for 40 hours of immersion training in our 3D ThinkLink Fabrication Laboratory.

Make the Connection — DONATE

With your support, we are opening students’ eyes to a world of possibilities in STEM they might otherwise have never seen. Every donation, large or small, helps us assemble the pieces we need to build on the early success of our 3D ThinkLink Initiative. For example:

  • $30 provides a lab tool set for one student.
  • $100 provides one hard drive and battery for a recycled laptop computer.
  • $450 provides one tablet computer for a 3D ThinkLink Team graduate.
  • $1,600 provides one Cube 3D printer and materials.
  • $2,500 provides one week of 3D ThinkLink Lab immersion training, including lodging and meals, for one student.

By making the connection between technology and creativity, the 3D ThinkLink Initiative gives at-risk teens an advantage as they enter a workforce where STEM skills are in high demand. Our classes prepare students to successfully compete for a growing array of technology-related jobs that don’t require a college degree or to continue their education in one of the STEM disciplines. In addition, the program builds self-confidence and problem-solving skills that help graduates achieve their goals no matter what career path they choose.

Click here to make a donation or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

YouthQuest Academy YouTube Channel Debuts

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YouthQuest Academy YouTube ChannelThe YouthQuest Foundation has launched a special channel on YouTube to support teachers in our 3D printing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education project.

The YouthQuest Academy Channel is at www.youtube.com/user/YouthQuestAcademy.

The channel is a collection of instructional videos made by YouthQuest Training Director Tom Meeks for the teachers in the 3D printing classes we are sponsoring at the Capital Guardian and Freestate ChalleNGe Academies this fall.

As the project expands to other states next year, this video supplement to the curriculum will become  even more important for keeping teachers on the same track, even if they’re hundreds of miles apart.

We’ve seen how our 3D printing classes help show at-risk teens how they can build a better future for themselves through creative thinking, teamwork and perseverance. We believe that is a valuable lesson for anyone. That’s why we’re making all YouthQuest Academy Channel videos available to the public, so teachers and students anywhere can start to explore the new world possibilities in 3D printing.

A couple of introductory videos are posted now and many more will be added soon. Stay tuned!

VIDEO: YouthQuest’s 3D Printing Project Expands

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Tom Meeks teaches YouthQuest's first 3D printing class at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy
Tom Meeks teaches YouthQuest’s first 3D printing class at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy

The YouthQuest Foundation’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education initiative is growing to include more students and new tools in 3D printing classes.

We launched the project early this year at Maryland’s Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, an alternative education program for at-risk youth that is run by the National Guard at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Now we are expanding to the newly opened Capital Guardian ChalleNGe Academy, which serves young people from the District of Columbia at the Oak Hill Campus in Laurel, Md.

Next year, we plan to bring the program to students in several other states.

YouthQuest and the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program share the goal of giving high school dropouts a second chance to become productive citizens through education, self-disciple and mentoring. The 3D printing project is a unique supplement to the academy Cadets’ basic GED-preparation coursework. The class teaches at-risk teenagers valuable life lessons, along with vocational skills.

Learning the basics of 3D printing, also known as “additive manufacturing,” can give these students an advantage if they choose to pursue careers in related fields. But even more important, says YouthQuest’s Training Director Tom Meeks, is how the class teaches them to think creatively and solve problems through teamwork, experimentation and iterative improvement.

The Cadets in the Freestate and Capital Guardian programs will use Moment of Inspiration modeling software contributed by Triple Squid Software Design and Cube printers provided by 3D Systems, our Additive Manufacturing Strategic Partner. This hardware and software was a winning combination in our pilot project at Freestate.

In addition, we are introducing Cubify Sculpt, a just-released application from 3D Systems that allows users to easily modify objects as if they were made of “virtual clay” to produce more natural looking shapes. The two software programs complement each other and open up new possibilities for students and teachers.

“Moment of Inspiration will create the objects and then we’ll bring those objects into Cubify Sculpt to embellish them and give them more organic feel,” says Tom. “I think those artistic Cadets are really going to be excited about that possibility.”

“I’m really looking forward to the fact that we’re expanding to two ChalleNGe programs and then in the next step expanding to multiple ChalleNGe programs around the country,” he adds.

Tom did an outstanding job teaching the first 3D printing class at Freestate Academy, but he can’t be in two places at once. So we are producing a series of instructional videos for the teachers he’ll be working with at the academies. The videos will be available for free online so any teacher in the world can learn how to use 3D printing to develop students’ creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

Tom is confident that teachers will be excited about 3D printing, students will be “highly motivated” and YouthQuest will be “very pleased with the outcome in the lives of these Cadets.”

If you would like to make a contribution to help cover the costs of providing this life-changing opportunity for at-risk teens, just CLICK HERE or contact us at info@youthquestfoundation.org or (703) 234-4633.

Executive Leaders Radio Features YouthQuest

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YouthQuest Foundation’s Lynda Mann co-hosted with Executive Leaders Radio program host Peter Schwartz
Lynda Mann with program host Peter Schwartz

YouthQuest Co-Founder and President Lynda Mann co-hosted a recent Executive Leaders Radio program, highlighting the Foundation’s new STEM project for at-risk youth.

Lynda and program host Peter Schwartz spoke with four Northern Virginia business leaders, including YouthQuest Co-Founder and Vice President Allen Cage, about their passion for their businesses and why they believe it’s important to give back to their communities.

Click here to listen to a webcast of the Executive Leaders Radio program.

3D Printing ‘Is the Future’

Allen Cage on Executive Leaders Radio
Allen Cage on Executive Leaders Radio

Allen, who is CEO of AOC Solutions, discussed YouthQuest’s focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) training for troubled teens. He also introduced Joshua Wilcox, one of students from the first 3D printing class YouthQuest sponsored at the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy in Maryland.

“I was fascinated with the technology,” said Joshua, who started exploring career opportunities in the 3D printing field after he graduated from Freestate in June. He said the class gave him valuable experience in additive manufacturing — something few job-seekers his age can tell prospective employers.

Joshua added that the Academy, which is run by the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, helped him turn his life around after he got into trouble with drugs and gave up on school.

“I feel pretty good. I’m actually going somewhere in my life,” he said.

Allen said YouthQuest is so encouraged by the results of the STEM project at Freestate Academy that it’s planning to expand the program to other states and “grow with the technology” by acquiring more sophisticated equipment and opening a lab.

“This is the future” in design and manufacturing, Charlie White said during his radio interview.

Charlie, who owns private commercial lender BLA Financial, praised YouthQuest’s emphasis on technology

“When you’re looking at people who need to have their lives turned around, high-tech is the way to go,” he said. YouthQuest, he added, is “right there in the forefront and they’re involving these kids in it.”

“Education is the key to success in life as far as I’m concerned,” said Paul Gurman. That’s why he has supported YouthQuest for years by making donations and participating in the annual fundraising golf tournament.

Click here for details about The Challenge at Trump National Golf Club

Paul Gurman at YouthQuest's 2012 fundraising golf tournament
Paul Gurman at YouthQuest’s 2012 golf tournament

Paul is a partner in the accounting firm Gurman and Co., which provides tax and audit services for the Foundation. Besides the professional connection, he has a personal interest in YouthQuest’s mission to help at-risk children.

“Everybody needs some help,” he explained. Although Paul grew up in “a solid home with a close family,” he said he’s seen plenty “kids without help.”

“That’s a shame.  If I can help in any way to strengthen their opportunities, I want to.”

Making a Difference

Paul pointed to the students from the 3D printing class as examples of young people who are seizing opportunities.

“They really are committed to improving themselves,” he said. “We just need to be able to make that path a little easier and that’s what YouthQuest is doing.”

Michael Garcia at YouthQuest's 2012 fundraising golf tournament
Michael Garcia at YouthQuest’s 2012 golf tournament

Restaurant owner Michael Garcia said he was drawn to YouthQuest by Lynda and Allen’s “passion to make a difference” in the lives of at-risk kids. He plays every year in the golf tournament and has hosted YouthQuest events at his restaurant, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in McLean, Va.

It was “eye-opening” to spend time with the STEM project students during an awards luncheon at Fleming’s in June, said Michael.

“I can see in them the appreciation and that somewhere in their mind they know this is their last stand.”

Michael is convinced that YouthQuest and the Freestate program are changing lives. He recalled his conversation with one of the students.

“You could see him planning his future out and a short time ago that wasn’t possible. His future was going to be…  dead, sooner than later. He was going down the wrong path. But now you watch the sparkle in this guy’s eyes,” he said.

“Man, these people are making a difference!”

Giving Back Is Good Business

Supporting organizations that make a difference doesn’t just make business leaders feel good. It’s good for business.

“Problems need to have solutions,” said Michael. “So if people associate Fleming’s with helping, they’re going to want to come in and be guests.”

Paul agreed that giving back to the community helps get his business noticed by potential clients. His personal philanthropy also sets an example for his staff.  However, the benefits go beyond that.

Being at the point in his professional life where he can use his success to help others gives him “a good feeling,” Paul said.

“It may not be all the monetary success in the world, but when I lay my head on my pillow at night, I can sleep and I know that I’ve done a good job.”

Click here to listen to a webcast of the Executive Leaders Radio program.

Why 3D Printing Is a Great Teaching Tool for At-Risk Youth

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Instructor Tom Meeks with Cadet Oscar Gonzales in YouthQuest's 3D printing class at Freestate ChallenNGe Academy
Tom Meeks works with Cadet Oscar Gonzales in YouthQuest’s 3D printing class at Freestate ChallenNGe Academy.

We launched our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) project to teach 3D printing because it supports The YouthQuest Foundation’s goal of providing vocational training for at-risk youth. What we didn’t realize when we started the program is that 3D printing also teaches these teens the life skills they need to succeed.

“3D printing is not an end in itself. It’s a means to an end, and that end is to grow our brains,” explains YouthQuest Volunteer of the Year Tom Meeks, who taught the class at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy.

The former junior high school teacher is passionate about 3D printing. As soon as he heard about our plan for the project, he says, he knew he wanted to be involved because it “offered a way to encourage students to be more creative — to learn about thinking.”

“When we learn how to think and we learn how to be creative and use our brains in different ways than we normally use them, then we can use that in any part of our lives,” Tom says.

That’s the lesson we learned from the eight Freestate ChalleNGe Academy Cadets who recently completed our first 3D printing class at Maryland’s Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Learning Through Failure

“It’s not about making cheap plastic parts. That’s the first thing I tell people about 3D printing,” says Tom. “It’s about being able to come up with a vision and then realize that vision in some concrete way.”

“And the most important part of that process is learning to fail.”

Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza assembles parts she designed and fabricated in 3D printing class
Cadet Nancy Tapia-Loza assembles parts she designed and printed to make a model of a mechanical arm.

The Cadets in the STEM project were all too familiar with failure. They were at the Freestate Academy, which is part of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, because they’d made the mistake of giving up on school. Besides the general lack of motivation that’s typical in adolescents, these kids were in trouble because of substance abuse, pregnancy and many of the other problems that are common for at-risk youth. The Academy was, as Tom puts it, “their last chance.”

Although the cadets were “extremely excited” about being chosen from among more than 100 classmates to take part in the project, says Tom, they were “afraid to fail.” They had failed often in the past – and had given up.

“In 3D printing, what they learned was it’s OK to fail as long as you see that failure as a way to make changes and go on to success. And that’s what they did over and over again,” Tom explains with a smile.

“They didn’t gripe about the failure. They looked at it, they analyzed it and then they learned how to make corrections in the design so that the next thing they printed was going to be closer to what they envisioned.”

Life-Changing Lessons

A few weeks ago, as they prepared to graduate from Freestate, the students met with Tom to talk about what they’d learned in the 3D printing class.

“Every one of them said that it changed their life in some way,” he recalls, “It changed their attitude toward life, the way they looked at life, the way they were going to go forward and meet challenges in the future. Every one of them.”

The class changed Tom’s life, too. In fact, he calls it the highlight of his career.

“It was so neat to see the changes that were happening in their lives and the enthusiasm that was happening in their lives. It was just emotionally uplifting for me in a big way,” Tom says. “So it didn’t matter how far I traveled. It didn’t matter that I was losing some money at work. What mattered was I’m a part of something really important in the lives of these kids. I expect to see big changes in their future because of this one class and all the other things that the ChalleNGe Academy does.”

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