Community Relations

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News

19 Dec: Chicago Teen Tech Center Students Become Hollywood Filmmakers

Students from the Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Chicago spent a week on set helping to film a Hollywood movie. Now, they can see the result of their work from their own living room.

Alternate Universe: A Rescue Mission, a sci-fi family adventure starring Steve Guttenberg, is now available on DVD and digital and on-demand platforms. The movie is part of the Fresh Films teen filmmaking program supported by Best Buy.

Students at the Teen Tech Center at Little Black Pearl, a nonprofit cultural arts center, experimented with green screens and learned how visual effects are created as they filmed some of the movie’s most complex scenes.

By Best Buy Community Relations Company News Uncategorized

08 Dec: Sending Our Thoughts to Those Impacted by California Wildfires

Like the rest of the country, we have been watching with horror the wildfires in Southern California. Our thoughts are, of course, with our employees, customers and communities affected.

While all employees are safe, too many have been impacted, including one who lost his apartment to the fires and more than two dozen who were forced to evacuate and remain uncertain about the fate of their homes. We are working with each of them to get them help.

At the same time, we’re looking to do what we can among those less fortunate communities we serve who are facing the effects of these fires.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News Sustainability

05 Dec: New Best Buy Teen Tech Center Brings Opportunity to Community

For Hamza Noor, attending the grand opening of a new Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Minneapolis on Tuesday was a homecoming of sorts.

He spent four years as a student attending the original Teen Tech Center at the downtown Minneapolis Central Library. Now, he will help teens gain skills they’ll need for the future as a Teen Tech Center employee at Pillsbury United Communities’ Brian Coyle Center — in the neighborhood where he grew up.

“I learned so much at the [downtown] Teen Tech Center, and now this new location will let all of the youth of Cedar-Riverside have the same opportunities,” Hamza said.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News Sustainability

17 Nov: Best Buy Seeks Teen Tech Center Partners in 6 Cities

The Best Buy Teen Tech Center program is expanding nationwide, and we’re currently looking for nonprofit/public entity host partners in six new cities.

Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are places where underserved teens can develop critical tech skills through hands-on activities. Those activities include programming, filmmaking, music production and design.

Each of our 11 current locations give students access to tech education opportunities, relationships that help to build confidence and a foundation for school and career success. Our partnership with The Clubhouse Network connects members to a global community of more than 100 clubhouses in 20 countries.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News

15 Nov: Want to Host a Geek Squad Academy? Apply Now

Geek Squad Academy, one of Best Buy’s signature community programs, is now accepting applications to host free two-day tech camps for youth in 2018.

We will accept applications from nonprofits, schools, libraries and other community groups.

Geek Squad Academy is one way we will reach our goal of preparing 1 million underserved youth for tech-reliant jobs of the future.

As a partner, here’s what you can expect:

Passionate instructors – Our Geek Squad Agents and Blue Shirts are the tech experts.

By Best Buy Community Relations Company News PR News Alerts Sustainability

25 Oct: Best Buy Making Major Investment in Teen Tech Programs

Early on a bitterly cold Saturday in January 2006, 30 eager teens gathered in Minneapolis’ North High School gym to make the first computers they’d ever own.

A handful of Geek Squad Agents arrived with desktop components. They patiently explained the inner workings and possibilities of what they and the students would build together. By the end of the day, each of those proud teens had an invaluable learning tool to take home.

That event marked the beginning of a Best Buy movement to help underserved young people.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News Sustainability

19 Oct: Best Buy Racks Up 5,200 Volunteer Hours in September

It started as a day of service. Then it turned into a week of giving back. Now, September is Best Buy’s “Month of Service,” during which we boost our volunteer efforts to make a big impact across the country.

Our employees planned 283 events last month, and 2,000 donated their time. They amassed a whopping 5,200 volunteer hours with local nonprofit organizations.

Here are a few great examples of the work our teams did in their communities:

We volunteered at Liberty House, a housing community for veterans transitioning out of homelessness in Manchester, New Hampshire.

By Andrea Riehl Community Relations Company News Sustainability

11 Oct: 3 Lessons Learned From Recent Geek Squad Academy Season

I manage our Geek Squad Academy (GSA) program, and I love my job! GSA brings hands-on tech education to youth across the country with two-day summer camps, as well as afterschool workshops all year long.

This summer, our 11^th season, Geek Squad Academy brought 1,250 of our employees out to their communities to work with 4,800 Junior Agents. Classes included 3-D design, digital music, coding, programming and much more.

It was an amazing summer of tech education and exploration. Here are three lessons I learned:

1.

By John Vomhof Jr. Community Relations Company News Sustainability

04 Oct: Best Buy Volunteers Help 400 Students Build Computers

Jasmine Lankford opened the small orange box and removed the contents of the Kano computer kit. It contained an HDMI cable, speaker, wireless keyboard, HD display, battery and, most important, an instruction book.

Then, the eighth-grader spent the next hour building her own PC, step by step. “I love this. This is so awesome,” she said with a huge grin. “I’ve made my own computer!”

Jasmine was one of 300 students at Los Alisos STEM Magnet Middle School in suburban Los Angeles who built Kano computers Tuesday afternoon with help from more than 100 Best Buy employees from across the country.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News Sustainability

15 Sep: Best Buy Named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 7th Year

Best Buy has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the seventh consecutive year.

The indices are the official sustainability performance ranking of the largest 2,500 companies in the world. They follow a best-in-class approach to measure and compare companies on environmental, social and corporate governance criteria. The indices serve as a benchmarking tool for investors who incorporate sustainability performance into their portfolios.

This year, Best Buy increased its overall score, placing among the top 10 retailers in the world.

By Suzanne Hilker Community Relations Company News

14 Sep: Best Buy Brings Tech Support to Areas Affected by Hurricanes

Best Buy and our employees are helping residents in areas hit hard by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma stay connected with one another and their loved ones.

After basic needs have been met, communicating with family and friends, as well as having internet access to begin the recovery process, is the next essential. That’s why we’re partnering with relief organizations, such as the Salvation Army and American Red Cross, to bring technology to storm-ravaged communities. Best Buy’s product and monetary donations have totaled more than $1 million to date.

By Best Buy Community Relations Company News

16 Aug: Best Buy Donates $100,000 to Support Institute for Minneapolis Teens

Best Buy announced Tuesday that it has donated $100,000 to Project SUCCESS through the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund.

The donation supported the launch of the Project SUCCESS Institute, a learning center equipped with state-of-the-art technology to help Minneapolis teens complete courses for school credit, develop tech skills and earn certifications. Project SUCCESS works to improve middle and high school students’ academic achievement and future career success through hands-on experiences. Annually, the organization serves nearly 13,000 students.

“At Best Buy, we are committed to helping enrich people’s lives through technology.

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