Minority Male Maker is a two-year program created by Verizon and launched this month at Kentucky State University with a $400,000 Verizon Foundation grant. The program seeks to empower a new generation of minority men by giving them lifelong technology and entrepreneurship skills to build future innovations and create brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Kentucky State University is one of just four leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HCBUs) in the nation housing this pioneering program, instructing the students daily during intensive, all-day technology classes on campus this summer. The program also has been launched at Morgan State University this month. Participants are also being mentored by minority college men, in collaboration with the National CARES Mentoring Movement.

“To accelerate our economic momentum and to make it sustainable long term, we realize we must build a workforce that can compete in the global economy,” Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear said. “This STEM-based initiative focuses on inspiring these young men to explore advanced technology and career opportunities that will better prepare them for a complex world. I want to thank each and every student for spending their summer focused on improving their knowledge and their career paths. Their investment will reap benefits for them and the Commonwealth. I congratulate Verizon for partnering with Kentucky State University on this innovative program."

“Combining hands-on technology experience on a college campus with focused mentoring from role models who look like participating students can be a difference-maker for these aspiring young scientists and engineers,” said Kentucky State University President Raymond Burse.  “Verizon’s Minority Male Maker program addresses an urgent need for more minority males in STEM fields, and introduces young Black males to the power of technology in helping them create successful careers and lives for themselves.”

“Some of Verizon’s latest products are being used in this program, tapping into adolescents’ natural interest in innovative technology to help them learn STEM skills in appealing and creative ways,” said Lauren Love-Wright, Region President for Verizon Wireless. “This type of hands-on learning engrosses the students in both the fun and the business aspects of STEM-related subjects, helping them transform themselves from purely users of technology to creators.”

Minority males are severely underrepresented in STEM fields, according to the National Science Foundation. They also are less likely than their Caucasian peers to graduate from high school in four years, according to The Shott Foundation, or to pursue college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. While much attention has been paid in recent years to empowering girls in these subject areas, very few programs exist that specifically work with boys to spark their interest in STEM disciplines.

Students are participating in all-day workshops at Kentucky State University for four to five days a week from July 6-24, 2015. The curriculum in each HCBU location is unique and includes skills such as collaboration, presentation making, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, problem solving and a range of STEM disciplines including app design and development, 3D modeling, design and printing and robotics. Each participant will create a simple game through instructor guidance, create a model to ‘manufacture’ on a 3-D printer, and brainstorm ways in which their game and model can be commercialized.

During the 2015-2016 school year, the students will participate in additional sessions once to twice a month that will include mentoring and support in their academic progress.

The impacts of the program will be measured by a combination of surveys conducted with the students at various stages during the program. Changes in students’ academic performances will also be tracked.

About Kentucky State University
Kentucky State University (KSU) was established in the capital city of Frankfort, Ky., in 1886. Its mission is to offer a liberal arts education that prepares a diverse student population to compete in a multifaceted, ever-changing global society. KSU is also a land-grant institution with programs to study and address agricultural and family life issues offered through the College of Agriculture, Food Science and Sustainable Systems. The university offers the associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees across a variety disciplines, including nursing, business, criminal justice, education, and the arts and sciences. It also offers the online Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program. As one of the most affordable colleges in the state, KSU has approximately 1,900 students with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1.

About the Verizon Foundation
The Verizon Foundation is focused on accelerating social change by using the company’s innovative technology to help solve pressing problems in education, healthcare and energy management.  Since 2000, the Verizon Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars to improve the communities where Verizon employees work and live. Verizon’s employees are generous with their donations and their time, having logged more than 6.8 million hours of service to make a positive difference in their communities.  For more information about Verizon’s philanthropic work, visit www.verizon.com/about/responsibility; or for regular updates, visit the Foundation on Facebook (www.facebook.com/verizonfoundation) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/verizongiving).

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