The REC Foundation has a vision of a future where robotics and STEM programs are available to every student, paving the way for the next generation of engineers. So The REC Foundation's cooperation with Amazon Future Engineer is a comprehensive program designed to increase access to computer science education for students from underserved and underrepresented communities.
Amazon Future Engineer has generously agreed to sponsor the 3rd Annual Southwest Native American Showcase Competition in Whiteriver, Arizona, in November 2022.
All Native American and Indigenous Teams are invited to participate in the 3rd Annual Native American Showcase Events - November 18-19, 2022 in Whiteriver, Arizona. Teams will have an opportunity to earn spots to the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship! Teams must be either a Native American Reservation School Team, Tribal School Team, or Native American / First Nations Team (defined as at least 50% or more of the students on that team recognized as Native or Indigenous) to be eligible to compete.
Each event will qualify for four spots to VEX Worlds Championships 2023, as follows:
Excellence Award – 2 spots (1 for each grade level)
Tournament Champions (2 spots)
From Amazon news, Indigenous youth face significant barriers to accessing computer science (CS) instruction and opportunities in schools on Native American reservations. The lack of a robust CS curriculum for K-12 students has created a concerning educational disparity.
Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon's global philanthropic computer science education program, recognizes the need to support Indigenous leaders in creating solutions that work for Indigenous communities. Through the program, Amazon has announced a commitment of $2.25 million to support Indigitize Computer Science (or Indigitize), a new initiative created in partnership with The One Gen Fund to support Indigenous schools and school districts in accessing culturally responsive CS curriculums.
Amazon Future Engineer formally announced its commitment to the initiative at CSEdCon, Code.org's annual CS education conference. About 350 global leaders and 12 state-level education superintendents attended the conference supporting the "CS for All" movement. Indigitize aligns with the national initiative to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the educational experience for all K-12 students and teachers.
That's why REC Foundation exciting to hear the news. And REC Foundation is looking forward to collaborations with sponsors like Amazon Future Engineer.
Reference:
Amazon & Rec Foundation: Supporting future native engineers. Marketing, Automation & Email Platform. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://mailchi.mp/ad9f0cd9e1c8/rec-foundation-online-challenges-are-live-145417?e=a1d0f430a3
Staff, A. (2022, September 27). Indigenous youth face significant barriers to accessing computer science-here's how Amazon is helping to close the gap. US About Amazon. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/community/indigenous-youth-face-significant-barriers-to-accessing-computer-science-heres-how-amazon-is-helping-to-close-the-gap
3rd Annual Southwest Native American showcase sponsored by Amazon and Google. REC Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://www.roboticseducation.org/3rd-annual-native-american-showcase-sponsored-by-amazon-and-google/