PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hive Pittsburgh is unveiling its first large scale initiative: Hive Days of Summer, a three-month summer learning campaign to officially launch the Hive Learning Network in Pittsburgh. With a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Pittsburgh was selected to join New York and Chicago to become only the third Hive Learning Network in the nation.
For the next three months, Hive Days of Summer will coordinate more than 30 activities, camps, events, and workshops to remake summer learning for teens in the greater Pittsburgh area, making summer more mobile, more digital, more creative, and more collaborative, just like today’s digital teens.
Hive Days of Summer programs are designed to help youths develop necessary 21st century skills and engage them in learning that encourages them to pursue their interests, connect with their peers, and personalize their learning. The program kicks off today with Youth Invasion at The Andy Warhol Museum, a project featuring teenagers’ unique take on Andy Warhol including performances by local teen groups, a youth-designed fashion show and digital art making.
“Hive Pittsburgh is creating connected learning opportunities that demonstrate the impact digital tools, design thinking and real world experiences can have on the way young people learn and socialize,” said Cathy Lewis Long, Executive Director of The Sprout Fund, the agency implementing Hive Pittsburgh. “Summer is the perfect time to engage teens outside of the classroom and create experiences in community libraries, museums, art venues, and other spaces to help them foster the creative and technology skills needed to thrive in our digital economy.”
When schools close their doors for summer, Hive Pittsburgh will be there to ensure the continuity of learning. Hive Days of Summer programs are specifically aimed at engaging teenagers, particularly those in low-income communities, providing them with creative learning opportunities that they may otherwise be unable to experience outside of their classrooms.
Hive Pittsburgh is managed by The Sprout Fund, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization committed to remaking learning. Serving as a model for other major U.S. cities, Pittsburgh champions the extensive use of digital learning and DIY “maker culture” practices – integrating the arts and sciences – to bridge the technical and the creative so learners can develop critical 21st century skills, encouraging children and youth to learn anytime, anywhere.
ABOUT HIVE PITTSBURGH
Hive Learning Networks re-imagine how learning is organized and supported across youth-serving organizations. Hive links together these multiple environments to create Connected Learning experiences in which youth can participate in accessible, “anytime, anywhere” learning activities by pursuing their interests and following their peers. Hive Pittsburgh is a program of The Sprout Fund, supporting the Pittsburgh Kids+Creativity Network. Learn more about the Hive Learning Network in Pittsburgh at www.hivepgh.org.
ABOUT THE SPROUT FUND
The Sprout Fund supports innovative ideas that are catalyzing change in Pittsburgh—making our community a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Through its programs and activities, Sprout enriches the Pittsburgh region’s vitality by engaging citizens, amplifying voices, supporting creativity and innovation, and cultivating connected communities.
Learn more at www.sproutfund.org.
