Techsgiving Initiative

In many DC and Prince George County public schools, access to technology is so limited that students barely get to use computers to practice for computer-based testing. Some schools report having equipment so old that staff are afraid to let children use it prior to the test, in fear the precious computers may break.

This is just one example of what it is like to teach and learn in a tech shortage. Schools are reporting shortages in laptops, desktops, whiteboards, projectors and tablets.

In many cases, parents have been forced to fundraise for their child's school. These parents should never feel the need to take from their time to help provide a necessity all academic settings should have.

Technology has influence over just about every aspect of our daily lives. From asking Alexa to set our wake up alarm, using Waze to navigate our way to the least trafficked path to work, and even utilizing an apple watch’s pedometer/ekg. Technology is everywhere and has an upward trend on the influence for the next generation. CNN estimates that the average American spends 10 hours a day utilizing a technological device and predicts for these hours to increase in the future years with the growing embrace of technology. Technology is here to stay and as emerging tech professionals and leaders, it is our duty to pay it forward and grant our youth with the proper education and resources for them to further drive innovation globally.

For these reasons, this Thanksgiving season the Techsgiving Committee will not just be focused on the holiday known for sharing meals between loved ones. Our goal is to gather funds to create a month long initiative focused on providing tools and learning resources for the DC and Prince George's County Public School System. By us sharing technology, the youth will be able to take these tools and drive the future. We will be accepting donations for the entire month via GoFundMe, with a goal to raise $10,000 for the two respective school systems.

Our students in the D.C. and Prince George’s County Public School Systems deserve equal access to technology. Please join our efforts to raise money to ensure our youth is provided with the technological resources to succeed in today’s fast-paced society.

For contact information please email us at [email redacted]

For more information on the gravity of the technology shortage please see link below:

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/21013046/access-to-technology-in-dc-public-schools-is-deeply-unequal