When you walk into VSEDC’s Best Buy Teen Tech Center, the first thing you notice is how inviting it is. The brand-new space features walls painted in bright yellow and blue with inspirational words scrawled across. There is new furniture to match the walls. Best of all, new computers welcome students when they arrive.
Hands on tech experience for South LA youth
The VSEDC PR team stopped by yesterday to take a look at the center in action. While we were there, students from Diego Rivera Learning Complex’s Communications and Tech division were taking a class led by 1500 Sound Academy. After months of planning and building, it was a joy to see students in front of colorful monitors intent on the task at hand: Intro to Beat Making & Vocal Recording.
The center also boasts a sound recording studio, which the students toured before the two-hour session was over. We expect the studio to be in high demand when the center opens this Summer.
Soft launch in May, grand opening this Summer
Vermont Slauson Economic Development Corporation’s new Best Buy Teen Tech Center has been inviting students from neighboring schools over the month of May as a soft launch before the grand opening in June. Nearly 100 South LA students will have participated in the soft launch before it is over. The Best Buy Teen Tech Center has been a dream of VSEDC’s for some time. Two years ago we partnered with The Annenberg Foundation to write a proposal to Best Buy to consider South LA as the destination for their next Teen Tech Center. Since then, VSEDC, Annenberg and Best Buy have been working together to launch South LA’s first Best Buy Teen Tech Center. It’s the third of its kind in the Los Angeles region.
The 2,000 square foot center is located at 6109 South Western in a building that VSEDC owns and operates as a business incubator and tech hub. VSEDC will also run the programs and curriculum in the Best Buy Teen Tech Center. Youth can sign up today as a member.
After dreaming of and working toward this goal for several years, we were elated to see students in the center taking class, and best of all, using brand new equipment – exactly as we imagined.
How can I get my son involved and what is the ag range
Hi! The age range is 10 to 18 years of age. You can sign him up as a member on this page: https://www.southlatech.org/
There’s a yellow button in the upper right hand corner that says “Get Involved.” Click on that and make him a member. The Center will be up and running in July, so get him on the list now.