Offering 200 hours of programming for Lansing area youth from low-income and under-represented backgrounds,
GET City students experience year-round science and engineering of energy sustainability at a hands-on level, using advanced information technology to make an impact in their community.
The result of collaboration between
Michigan State University’s colleges of
education and
engineering and the
Boys & Girls Club of Lansing, Green Energy Technology (GET) in the City began in 2007, with the help of a
National Science Foundation grant. Since, GET City youth have been challenged with various energy projects, understanding how they can change their carbon footprint in their communities, and how they can get others to help create change.
“Some of our past participants provided our Boys & Girls Club facility with an energy audit, and staff has actually implemented their plan,” offers Boys & Girls Club President, Carmen Turner. “These children walk with their heads held high; they feel they have a voice, that they’re actually listened to.”
The Afterschool Alliance and
MetLife Foundation honored GET City in mid-October with a
2012 Afterschool Innovator Award for youth development in science, technology, engineering, math, and information technologies. One of only five afterschool programs in the country to receive the recognition, a check for $10,000 was awarded to help expand GET City’s work.
“I love being able to open children’s eyes to all the different aspects of engineering, to open up a whole new world of possibilities and to watch as kids investigate their interests; this award helps to ensure we can continue to provide that experience,” says Turner.
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