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Club
Tech
 Club
Tech operates alongside the Whittier Fifth Dimension at the Boys
& Girls Club of Whittier. Both are computer-mediated, after-school,
education programs; but while the Fifth Dimension appeals primarily
to elementary-school-age children, Club Tech is specifically designed
for teens.
The goal
of Club Tech is to promote (1) learning of advanced software and computer-based
design; (2) use of reading, writing, mathematics, and research skills
in meaningful contexts; and (3) development of close, mentoring relationships
with college students. To achieve its goals, Club Tech engages teens
in digital music production, photography and filmmaking, web-page
design, desktop publishing, and animation projects.
Whittier's
Club Tech follows many of the same theoretical principles that guide
the Fifth Dimension. For example, choice among project options encourages
teens to form and pursue their own goals. Club Tech mentors assist
participants following the guideline, "Help as little as possible,
but as much as necessary to assure progress and success."
Opened
in 2003, Club Tech now serves Boys & Girls Club members every
Monday through Friday, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Club Tech Lab adjacent
to the Fifth Dimension. Four members of the 2004-2005 McCabe team
--- Leti Carrillo, Emilio Guerrero, Patricia Piña, and Valerie
Vargas -- guide Club Tech teens in their project work. They also
coordinate the program, collaborating with Oscar Hernandez, the
Boys & Girls Club's Director of Programs, and Don Bremme, a
Whittier College Education professor who directs the Whittier Fifth
Dimension and associated McCabe Programs.
Compensation
for the four Club Tech mentors is provided by a grant from the B.
C. McCabe Foundation, which also supports the Fifth Dimension. Hardware
for Club Tech was purchased through a Beaumont Foundation grant
to the Boys & Girls Club of Whittier. Club Tech projects use
software designed by Microsoft for the Boys & Girls Clubs of
America.
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