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Geek Squad Academy aims to reach record 10,000 teens this season

Young people from across the U.S. are about to learn essential tech skills as Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy (GSA) summer camp season begins this month. More than 10,000 students from ages 11 to 18 are expected to attend 60 camps this year — the biggest GSA season ever.

“Youth from underrepresented communities face real challenges as job readiness resources and opportunities remain few and far between,” said Andrea Wood, head of social impact at Best Buy. “These two-day tech immersion camps will help thousands of students explore their passions and gain critical tech skills as they look ahead to their future studies and careers.”

With courses ranging from 3D design and coding to music and video production, students learn skills that lay the foundation for tech-reliant careers. This year’s camps feature two new courses: “Picture Perfect,” which teaches the fundamentals of photography and composition, and “Stop Motion,” which demonstrates how to use basic video editing to transform pictures into stop-motion videos.

GSA launched more than a decade ago, and since then some 50,000 teens have benefited from the free two-day camps. Led by Geek Squad Agents and conducted in partnership with local community organizations, the camps feature interactive learning aimed at sparking creativity and discovering new passions.

Best Buy acts on the belief that it has a responsibility to marshal its expertise, thousands of employees, local community partners and vast population of tech partners to come together to build a brighter future for young people. The company puts this commitment to work through programs such as GSA, Best Buy Community Grants and the national network of 29 Best Buy Teen Tech Centers.

This summer’s 60 camps will be held in the following 48 cities, with an additional five cities to be announced later.

  • Boston, MA
  • Bayamon, Puerto Rico
  • Orlando FL
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • DeSoto, TX
  • Romeoville, IL
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Independence, MO
  • Pembrook Pines, FL
  • Homestead, PA
  • Cleveland, OH
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Louis, MO
  • Chicago, IL
  • Raleigh, NC
  • Camp Pendleton, CA
  • Reno, NV
  • Louisville, KY
  • Rochester, NY
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Washington D.C.
  • Birmingham, AL
  • Liverpool, NY
  • Joplin, MO
  • Dallas, TX
  • Memphis, TN
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Round Lake, IL
  • Bronx, NY
  • Cleveland, TN
  • Hayward, CA
  • Detroit, MI
  • Richmond, VA
  • Sacramento, CA
  • Milwaukee, WI
  • Jersey City, NJ
  • Virginia Beach, VA
  • Richfield, MN
  • Bellevue, WA
  • Leominster, MA
  • Wakeman, OH
  • Lakewood, CO
  • Salem, VA
  • Conyers, GA
  • Houston, TX

 

Click here for a complete schedule of academy dates, locations, enrollment information and more.