$2 Helps a Child Become the Next Steve Jobs, Philantropher.com
Low-income children are far less likely to have computers in their home, or access to technology.
MOUSE arrives at schools that have significant percentage of low-income children. From there a group students are selected to become MOUSE Squad members, where they receive thorough training and ongoing support on how to be their school’s technology experts.
“They are like the Geek Squad for their school,” says Mike Capobianco, MOUSE’s Director of Development. “They become leaders in their schools by helping their fellow students and their teachers. Everyone comes to them.” The benefits for the children are numerous. They learn valuable technical skills while developing their abilities to collaborate, manage projects, and problem-solve. Over 80% of MOUSE Squad members reported that participation in the program makes them want to stay in school, and 94% went on to college. “Being a MOUSE Squad member also opens their eyes to new possibilities,” says Capobianco. “They do more than they thought they were capable of.”
The schools reap the rewards too: schools with a MOUSE Squad save on average $19,000 a year in IT costs. Right now there are over 350 MOUSE Squads around the country, changing the lives of thousands of children as young as 10 years old.
And Squad members have opportunities to take their knowledge outside of their schools, from MOUSE’s technology competitions to internship placements. The oldest Squad members can apply to the elite MOUSE Corp, where they work towards a technology-based community service project. “One recent Corp project involved finding ways to apply technology to support the visually impaired,” reports Capobianco.
MOUSE also offers a range of advanced classes for its Squad members, and one of its most popular is on robotics. Just $2 is enough to buy the kit for the robotics class, which consists of a circuit board, wires, and a battery. “Our kids can really tinker with technology in this class,” says Capobianco. “This is pretty much what Steve Jobs was doing in his garage of a few decades ago.”
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