Volunteer
30 May Lumity STEM event launching new business one high school student at a time
By Etelka Lehoczky At Amundsen High School on Chicago’s North Side, there are a few things no student is ever without: jeans worn with just the right attitude; a bulging backpack; and, the most important item of all – a cell phone. The importance of phones in teens’ lives inspired a unique exercise at Amundsen on a recent day in May. The challenge: Design a smartphone app. Divided into groups of 4-6, students sought to envision apps and plan ways to develop them.
Guiding the teens were volunteers from global IT firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). How did a multinational company with over 350,000 employees come into the lives of kids at a neighborhood high school? It’s thanks to Chicago-area nonprofit Lumity.
16 May Apps and excitement for Waukegan teens at Lumity and Forsythe STEM event
By Etelka Lehoczky At first it may seem like an ordinary April day at Waukegan’s Greenbelt Cultural Center, just outside of Chicago, but in the big ballroom the air is humming. At tables all around the room, small groups of teenagers are hard at work – murmuring, laughing and capturing ideas on laptops.” [caption id="attachment_695" align="alignright" width="300"]
Forsythe staff team up with Waukegan High School students to build business case for a mock smartphone app.[/caption]
The teens have been brought together thanks to a complex partnership – and some creative thinking – by three innovative Chicago organizations. The kids attend Waukegan High School, a culturally diverse institution with more than 4,000 students. They’re being aided by employees of Forsythe Technology, Inc., a privately held, employee-owned company based in Skokie, Ill. Then there’s the fulcrum: Chicago-area nonprofit Lumity, which organized the event as part of its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Career Readiness Program. After 32 years in operation, Lumity is shifting its mission to focus on providing transformational experiences for at-risk youth that prepare them for lifelong STEM careers.
The exercise today is to conceive and create a business case for a mock smartphone app. As the teens work through their designs they must think creatively, assess one another’s ideas and hone their presentation skills. And they’re clearly having a great time doing it.
15 Mar Bryant Wallace attends Goode STEM Academy’s Honors Assembly
Bryant Wallace has been a long-time partner and volunteer for the Lumity STEM career readiness program. He spent a lot of time with the participants of the Summer Youth Employment Program in 2014 and supported teams in the STEM Saturdays program in 2015. Just last month, he shared his story for the largest STEM Talk audience to date.
09 Jun Inspire students to pursue a career in computer science!
Volunteer with goIT!
TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) is a long-time partner of Lumity. Together we’re working to increase student’s exposure
to and interest in STEM-related careers. This July, Project Exploration & goIT-student technology awareness program are hosting a three-day camp to teach students concepts of programming, but we can't do it alone!
You can help TCS and Lumity inspire students by volunteering your time for goIT!
15 Jan Thank Your Mentor Day
January 15 is Thank Your Mentor Day. How are you showing your appreciation for your mentor? Here are five ways to say 'thanks'!...
08 Jan Celebrate ‘I am a Mentor Day’
January 8th is I am a Mentor Day. Be proud of the role you play in a young person’s life and share your story to inspire others to get involved....
23 Dec We’re celebrating National Mentoring Month in January!
“None of us made it on our own. Someone has given us that helpful nudge at some point. It’s important that you reach back and do the same for someone else," Miguel Guerra, Winner of the Daily Point of Light Award, said about why he makes mentoring and sharing his story with students a priority. January is National Mentoring Month and Lumity is taking the opportunity to highlight the value of mentoring and encourage more individuals to take the time to mentor a young person.21 Nov ‘Tis the season to give back – through volunteering!
As we get ready to give thanks, use your skills and give back!
Lumity currently has a variety of great volunteer opportunities; sign up today to get started!
Help build capacity at Chicagoland nonprofits:
Peace Corner | Technology Assessment & Review
On-site (with virtual potential once project has begun), 5022 W Madison
Looking for a volunteer to help implement turn-key based systems and advise them on potential hardware and software that will make them more innovative and efficient; Peace Corner has relatively new technology systems.
Click here to sign up!
Waukegan to College | Data Cleansing, Management & Transformation Assistance
On-site (with virtual potential once project has begun), Waukegan, IL
Waukegan to College is looking for a volunteer to advise them on moving their data from excel, word and paper to a web based data management system. This data management system will help them be more effective and help their small staff spend more time working directly with students to help them get to college!
Click here to sign up!
21 Oct Miguel Guerra wins Daily Point of Light during Pro Bono Week
Miguel Guerra, a STEM talk speaker for Lumity’s college and career readiness program, was named the Daily Point of Light for Volunteer Pro Bono Week. Points of Light is the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service. [caption id="attachment_206" align="alignright" width="300"]
Miguel spoke with young adults at a local technical college about careers in technology.[/caption]
Miguel graduated from Roger C. Sullivan High School in Rogers Park, Chicago and now works as a wireless consulting engineer at CDW. He is raising three children with his wife and still finds significant time to volunteer with the youth of Chicago.
Miguel began working with Lumity in 2013 to share his story with students with the hopes of providing guidance and inspiration. Miguel brings real world experience to youth between the ages of 14 and 24 (both in and out of high school) in diverse, underserved neighborhoods of Chicago. He gives students a view into the possibilities for their own lives, because they can see themselves in his story of growing up poor, being drawn into a gang and his successful effort to leave gang life behind and build an IT career that allows him to provide for a life he never dreamed possible when he was in high school. His efforts can help students see the value of breaking the cycle of drugs and violence.