Teen Tech Centers

By KATIE KORANDA Demo Community 1 Lifestyle

02 Mar: Creating a space for young women to explore STEM

When Olivia Farley became coordinator of the Best Buy Teen Tech Center at Keystone Community Services this fall, she noticed something was missing: girls.

The center, located in St. Paul, Minnesota, is one of about 35 Teen Tech Center locations across the country. It opened in 2017 as a place where teens can explore their interests in all things tech, from coding and graphic design to filmmaking and everything in between.

Giving youth — especially girls — access to tech education opportunities is important to Best Buy.

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By KATIE KORANDA Lifestyle

25 Feb: Young women pursue dreams with help from Teen Tech Centers

Many teens have big dreams, and Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are helping make them a reality.

That’s especially important for girls in disinvested communities, who often lack access to STEM education. The Teen Tech Centers are helping provide them with opportunities to explore technology and discover what’s possible.

We featured three young women from our Teen Tech Centers as part of our new animated YouTube series called “Dream Huge.” The teens were paired with professional animators and storytellers to bring their stories to life.

By Bianca Jones Company News

09 Dec: Best Buy Commits More Than $44 Million to Diversity, Inclusion and Community Efforts

The company’s five-year plan focuses on hiring BIPOC and women employees, along with creating more opportunities and post-secondary support for youth and emerging talent

Today, Best Buy is announcing actions we are taking to better address underrepresentation, technology inequities and educational and career opportunities for those who need it most.

In June, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry said we will do better. As a company, we committed to making systemic, permanent changes that address social injustices to improve our company and our communities.

By Bianca Jones Access to Technology Lifestyle Teens

06 Nov: 5 ways Teen Tech Centers help bridge the gap in STEM

We love tech, and we’re committed to sharing that love with teens who might otherwise not have access.

Best Buy first launched Teen Tech Centers in 2012 to help teens from disinvested communities explore technology. Since then, we’ve opened 35 Teen Tech Centers across the country, with plans to expand to more than 100 in the next five years.

These are places where teens can develop critical skills through hands-on activities that explore their interests in programming, filmmaking, music production and design.

By KATIE KORANDA Access to Technology Lifestyle Teens

06 Nov: In pandemic, partners help get tech to teens

From access to software to learning the latest tech, Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are helping address the opportunity gap for teens in disinvested communities.

We know we can’t do it alone, so we work with a range of partners across the country — including a number of our vendor partners — to empower youth with the technology and tools they need to thrive now and in the future.

“What we’re trying to do with our Teen Tech Centers and Career Pathways programs is really to help build brighter futures for teens,” said Andrea Wood, vice president of social impact.

By Claire Larson Lifestyle Teens

30 Oct: Minneapolis Teen Uses Power of Music to Encourage Others to Vote

Olivia Pierce is a student who is using her talents to promote change by encouraging people to vote this election season.

Following recent calls for action regarding racial injustice, Olivia — who goes by the stage name Moyana Olivia — wrote a song and created a music video with the help of her peers at a Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Minneapolis.

“This song was written to raise awareness to racial injustice and encourage people to take tangible action against police brutality by voting in the general election of November 2020,” she wrote on Instagram.

By Becca Johnson Lifestyle

08 Sep: Teen Tech Center Coordinator’s Journey Comes Full Circle

The Brooklyn Public Library system in New York has played a special role in Nadine Cabrera’s life.

She got a part-time job at the Bay Ridge Library when she was 15 years old, helping visitors check out and return books. Then, in March 2019, a new Best Buy Teen Tech Center opened at the Kings Highway Library, and Nadine was hired to run it.

“I never had specific career goals. I just wanted a job that would allow me to keep a roof over my head,” she said.

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