Rec2Tech Pittsburgh: Adult Survey Results
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By Anneliese Martinez, The Sprout Fund
IN 2014, President Obama issued a call to action that “every company, every college, every community, every citizen joins us as we lift up makers and builders and doers across the country.”
In response to the President’s call, communities across the United States are repurposing and enhancing underutilized municipal assets to transform recreation centers and other public spaces into youth-centered, technology-enabled, maker learning spaces where young people can engage with science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).
For people who lack reliable internet service and access to technology, these “Rec2Tech” transformations can increase digital literacy and cultivate skills connected to future employment.
According to the 2015 City of Pittsburgh Roadmap for Inclusive Innovation, 23% of households in Pittsburgh do not have access to the internet or a computer. The goal of Rec2Tech is to provide high-quality, technology-focused education in accessible spaces to prepare the Pittsburgh community for the high-tech jobs of the future.
In 2016, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto, together with the Department of Innovation & Performance and the Department of Parks & Recreation (Citiparks), partnered with The Sprout Fund and lead sponsor Comcast NBCUniversal to launch Rec2Tech Pittsburgh to demonstrate how municipal assets can be leveraged to address the “digital divide.”
During a one-week demonstration in September 2016, Rec2Tech Pittsburgh transformed five city-owned recreation centers into technology-enhanced STEAM learning centers where youth learned to use technology to express their creativity, solve real-world problems, and build job-ready skills.
Here’s a look at experiences of the adults who made Rec2Tech Pittsburgh a reality.
Immediately following the completion of the demonstration week, key adult contributors in the program participated in structured interviews about their role in Rec2Tech. They discussed successes and challenges in program delivery, perceived youth satisfaction, feedback on program models, and ideas for the future of Rec2Tech in Pittsburgh.
Collaboration is the Key
Overall, collaboration between partners was very positive and contributors felt that this collaboration will lead to future opportunities. Collaboration was an important aspect of creating partnerships in the community to build and implement programming in the rec centers. Staff from rec centers spoke volumes about the necessity of having “professional” staff from provider organizations do content delivery: These providers were necessary to “support the centers for specific learning activities.” One contributor from a rec center stated, “I don’t know much about 3D virtual reality goggles, so to have somebody who does know about that kind of stuff to bring it in for the kids, I think it’s great.”
Citiparks currently offers a compelling program focused on the arts with the support of a Pittsburgh organization, Gateway to the Arts. A similar “teaching artist” model could be adopted by Citiparks to support digital literacy programs like Rec2Tech.
The success of the Rec2Tech Demo Week illustrated the enthusiasm from youth and rec center staff to engage with digital literacy programs, and it also emphasized the importance of outside expertise, like the role of a “teaching artist.”
Several models were proposed, including ongoing weekly programming from outside providers, professional development for existing rec center staff, and a range of other engagement options that offered short-term engagements or programming in select sites.
The most popular selected option was Weekly Programming. Contributors stressed how important frequent programming is for learning and for high-quality afterschool programs. Many individuals expressed interest in integrating Rec2Tech into existing curriculum and programming to support its sustainability. Contributors expressed that it was unlikely that programming could be implemented by rec center staff alone and that content delivery should be provided by an outside organization. This model can “provide a fresh take on the afterschool program and gives kids things to look forward to” like having special guests (e.g. people from the community, local municipality) who can observe and “really be hands-on with the youth.”
Many contributors had ideas about future partnerships that might support Rec2Tech for years to come. The involvement of Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) came up in a number of interviews as a potential avenue for future collaboration. PPS was suggested for a number of reasons including their position to refer students who live in these areas to the programs and rec centers (for programming as well as homework help), and identify areas of overlap between curriculum being taught in schools and supporting learning in afterschool settings. Other staff also mentioned including teachers from schools elsewhere in Allegheny County for future involvement.
Parents were also mentioned as potential collaborators for future years of Rec2Tech. One contributor mentioned how “giving voice” to parents during the planning stages of programming would promote buy-in as well as offer clarification about what the programs are. Some parents might assume that the program focuses on “video games and social media… they don’t get that biggest understanding of what is out there,” so involving parents and the community at large would clarify and develop support for these programs.
Private organizations were also recommended for future partnerships by a couple of contributors. One contributor said that “any organization that has an interest or money to invest in disadvantaged youth or STEAM education” would want to get involved in a program like Rec2Tech.
Recruitment & Engagement
While rec centers lacked some resources, they were the key player to critical youth engagement and recruitment. Not only were providers and staff “excited to talk about” Rec2Tech, but they also believed that the greatest success of the program was the “willingness…by our kids and by our communities to commit to the program. I mean, it just took a few minutes — after that, they were all in. They just needed a chance.”
Programming that was geared toward explaining the relevance of technology to communities proved to be the most successful. Contributors reported that “a mix between technology and ways to better our community, our planet, and everything in between” made the program significant to youth and the community at large. Contributors mentioned the importance of improving “the health and well-being of our families and communities” as well as preparing youth for the tech-future made the program a success in the eyes of the communities.
In addition to the structure of the program, contributors had feedback about some promising practices and things to focus on in future program. Focusing programming on applications of tech in the local community was found to be a successful way to connect with communities and promote the relevance of tech in youths’ lives. Rec center staff reported that they want youth to become “literate in technology” and “to ask, ‘how can we use [technology] to create a better society and a better community?” Another approach that might increase engagement would be to include more project-based learning experiences that allow youth to take tools and projects home after programming concluded.
Unlock Potential with Professional Development
The majority of contributors noted the desire for staff to be better equipped at rec centers to support the needs of the community and adequately deliver high-quality STEAM content. Contributors suggested several professional development (PD) options, including: tech literacy training (especially for more advanced programming like 3D printing and Photoshop), pedagogical content knowledge development (how to teach tech-related content to youth), and positive youth development (one recommendation was a training offered through Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time (APOST), a local agency) to focus on soft skills.
Empowering recreation center staff with PD by integrating digital literacy into existing curriculum and programming is an immediate strategy to promote the relevancy of tech in the lives of young people.
In the long term, contributors envisioned serving not only youth in communities but also older populations who have limited access to relevant technology. The interviewees agreed that each neighborhood in Pittsburgh is distinct so catering to them will look different for each rec center.
Internet as Utility
Contributors were asked to give ideas of what supplies and equipment they would like to have at rec centers to support the STEAM programming in the rec centers. The responses, outlined below by priority, are humble requests by 21st century standards:
- Computers/Laptops/Tablets
- High speed internet
- Printers
- Designated space for computer lab
- Chairs/tables
Some of the resources and capacity needs of rec centers to support successful STEAM programing include:
- Money and/or grant funding: for ongoing growth of the program
- Purchasing/loaning of equipment: to keep at rec center for ongoing learning
- Training of staff: to support and facilitate learning
- Buy-in from rec center: for sustainability of the program
A staff member from the City said they wanted “the technology infrastructure [in rec centers] …to be viewed as utilities,” meaning they want these to be found in every center as a basic necessity to serve the needs of the community and City at large. Contributors working in rec centers were asked about what kinds of changes would be necessary in the rec centers to be able to support this vision (see list above). These interviewees stressed the importance of having supplies and equipment that “kids are using in school and possibility at home” to support ongoing STEM learning and to also support them every day (i.e. homework help). This updating would ideally include renovating the space to facilitate learning, ease of access (see ADA guidelines), and making these spaces useable (e.g. chairs/tables and a space for a computer lab).
Feedback such as the above clearly illustrates that supplies and equipment such as computers, printers, and reliable hi-speed internet access that youth may be using in school and possibility at home (to support ongoing STEAM learning and everyday activities such as homework help) are no longer optional services to remain a competitive service provider in today’s market.
The Vision: Rec Centers as Tech Centers
Results from the contributor interviews suggest that there is a greater vision for rec centers to develop into community-based tech centers. The goal is to allow rec centers to remain spaces that offer traditional programming but would be “updated” to support the needs of the community and the developing workforce. This transformation would require rec centers to be equipped with resources that are up-to-date, training of staff to facilitate learning in this new space, and targeting the unique needs of the communities that they serve. Sustaining Rec2Tech programming in Pittsburgh over the long term will require a concerted and inclusive effort that considers the needs of communities where rec centers are located. Rec2Tech must balance facility enhancements necessary to support technology learning opportunities with the need to maintain ongoing recreation programming that communities value highly.
One potential approach is to establish a bid system for seeking providers who can deliver custom technology programming at rec centers in the form of multi-month “STEAM Residencies.”
Selected providers would deliver relevant and engaging technology learning experiences for youth, and they would also support the professional development of rec center staff so that they could gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to offer similar activities after the residency ends.
With greater familiarity and expertise in providing technology learning programs, rec center staff could make informed decisions when considering investments in space transformations and equipment procurement necessary to make Rec2Tech a permanent fixture in Pittsburgh’s recreation centers.
A long-term partnership model of this nature is designed to support the sustainability of Rec2Tech so that programming may be implemented by both rec center staff with the support of specialized content delivery provided by an outside organization. This model can provide a fresh take on the afterschool program and will give young people an opportunity to become fluent in technology so they may ask, “how can we use technology to create personal opportunity and a better society?”
You can learn more about Rec2Tech Pittsburgh at rec2techpgh.org.
