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Annenberg Learner partners with South LA Best Buy Teen Tech Center and Russell Westbrook Middle School to expand access to technology

Author: Marcelle Hutchins

Russell Westbrook Middle School students at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center in South LA.

An Innovative partnership between Annenberg Learner, South LA Best Buy Teen Tech Center (SLA BBTTC), and Russell Westbrook Middle School (RWMS) is in its second year providing educational technology programming to students in South LA. 

This semester 15 RWMS students participated in a 10-week interactive animation workshop, where they learned about the history of cartoons and animation, 12 rules of animation, and used software to create original animated art. For the upcoming spring semester, students will go behind the scenes on the set of a podcast with YouTube Creators Club.  

SLA BBTTC, Annenberg Learner, and RWMS embarked on this collaboration with the shared goal of providing innovative STEAM programming during the school day at the local SLA BBTTC. Students are regularly bused from their school campus to SLA BBTTC to participate in tech workshops including coding, robotics, animation, and podcasting. Participating students become members of SLA BBTTC and are encouraged to drop-in during after school hours to continue their technology exploration.  

Russell Westbrook Middle School students at the Best Buy Teen Tech Center in South LA.

 SLA BBTTC is part of a bold effort announced in 2021 by Best Buy, in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation and Greater LA Education Foundation to open 12 centers across LA County by 2025 – the LA Community Impact Hub. Strategically located in disinvested communities, the Centers serve youth between 10-24 years old and provide mentorship, skill building and career opportunities in entrepreneurship and the creative economy. 

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