BuildIT Computer Camp is a partnership between Shift2 and Great Lakes Gaming, designed for students in the Rochester City School District. Over the course of a week, participants learn the hardware, the software, and how it all works together. When the week is done, the laptop goes home with them.

For a lot of students, that matters. About 20% of Rochester residents don’t have home internet access, and another 17% are getting by on a cellular data plan alone. RCSD provides Chromebooks, but a phone or a shared device only goes so far when you’re trying to write a term paper or get ahead on coursework.

“Internet access is not a guarantee, especially in the household,” said Megan Alchowiak, Shift2’s Executive Director. “Could you write a term paper on your phone?”

The laptops students build come loaded with programs that work offline, so the device stays useful regardless of what’s happening with the WiFi at home.

The camp is also about more than hardware. Students come in from schools across the city, many not knowing anyone else in the room. By the end of the week, that’s usually changed. “Building those friendships also happens a lot throughout the week,” Alchowiak noted.

For 17-year-old Victor Quintana, the camp hit close to home. A gamer who grew up without reliable internet or the latest devices, he came in curious and left with a clearer sense of where he wanted to go. His advice to anyone on the fence about signing up: “If you don’t try, you’re just going to stay closed. If you don’t grow, you’re just kinda wasting your time here on earth.”

The cost to attend BuildIT camp is generously covered by annual grant funding.  See the news coverage here: https://www.whec.com/top-news/free-computer-camp-helps-bridge-digital-divide-for-rochester-city-school-district-students/