Who and What is BETF?

WHO IS BETF?
BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF or BDPA Foundation) is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity, founded in 1992 to support the education and technology programs of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA).

BETF recognizes that to close the gap of computer and technology literacy, youth of African descent must participate and compete in today’s digital economy. We want students from historically disadvantaged communities to learn advanced computer science and community responsibility from any of the BDPA chapters located around the nation.

WHAT DOES BETF DO?
In 1986, we began developing high school youth for future entrance into the IT industry through the Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program. Annually, we train up to 900 of these students in after-school computer camps on the latest computer and Internet website developing languages as well as the much-needed industry knowledge and presentation skills.

In addition to the computer camps, we encourage each of the BDPA chapters to bring 5-person teams to the annual BDPA Technology Conference to demonstrate the skills they have learned. The students from the best-performing teams at this annual High School Computer Competition (HSCC) earn Jesse Bemley Scholarships that they can use for post-secondary education. We are very proud of the alumni from this annual program.

Recently, the BDPA Foundation created an Endowment fund with the intent of increasing the number and size of the scholarships awarded these students. The scholarships target our young people seeking a degree in Information Technology or related discipline at accredited colleges or universities. The local BDPA chapters assist and encourage future IT Professionals through college and into the IT Industry. We ask these HSCC alumni to come back and help train the next group of SITES participants. This cycle comprises our “Classroom to the Boardroom” concept.

BETF is led by a powerful and innovative board of directors. However, we are fueled by the donations made by supporters like you!

This Week in BDPA (Feb 10-16, 2013)

BDPA offers strong programs in 45 cities around the nation. Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Feb 12: BDPA Foundation - Webinar, 'BDPA iRadio Show'
• Feb 13: National BDPA - Webinar, 'All Members: National Strategy Review'
• Feb 16: National BDPA - Webinar, 'Career Triage - Resume Rescue'
• Feb 16: New York - Seminar, 'BFTAW: Technology is for Everyone'

Please let us know of other BDPA events 

that we may have missed! 

You can always find BDPA programs, services or networking activity online at places such as:

• BDPA Facebook Group
• BDPA Foundation Facebook Page
• BDPA Foundation Twitter Account
• BDPA LinkedIn Network Group

BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry. Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to our Causes, our HSCC Scholarship Funds or Your Causes! We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events.

This Week in BDPA (Jan 22-28, 2012)

BDPA has 45 chapters around the nation. You can always find programs, services or networking activity here or here or here. BDPA supports your efforts for career advancement in the IT industry.

Our hope is that you find reasons to provide tax-deductible support to us here, here or here!

Are you taking advantage of these programs? Here is a weekly preview of upcoming events gathered from the centralized BDPA calendar :

• Jan 24: BETF - Webinar, 'BDPA iRadio Show'
• Jan 25: BETF - Webinar, 'Goals: Inspiration and Focus'
• Jan 25: New Jersey - Webinar, 'Project Portfolio Management'
• Jan 26: Atlanta - Webinar, 'Volunteer Rally and Orientation'
• Jan 28: Washington DC - SITES, 'HSCC Kick-Off & Breakfast Reception'
• Jan 28: Cincinnati - SITES, 'Youth Technology Seminar Series (Week 4)'
• Jan 28: Columbia - Seminar, 'Black Family Technology Awareness Corner'

We encourage all BDPA leaders to take advantage of the centralized BDPA Groupsite Calendar to post your upcoming events! Please let us know of other BDPA events that we may have missed. Most importantly, let us know if you plan to attend any BDPA events this week.

BETF Prepares Students for IT Careers

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is making the choice to prepare high school students for global advancements in information technology, but it starts with a student’s choice to want to learn more. BETF addresses the dilemma that educational, technical and career opportunities still reach African Americans and other underserved communities at a very slow pace. Since 1996, BETF has awarded scholarships to high school students to assist with their continued education at over 100 colleges and universities across the country.

BETF is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity established in 1992 to financially support 21st century student education and technology initiatives across the United States. BETF focuses a great deal of our funding on programs and services provided by BDPA at a local and national level.

BDPA was founded in 1975 from concern that people of African descent were not adequately represented in the workforce of the new and emerging computer industry. Today, BDPA is a professional membership organization that encourages and helps to prepare high school and college students pursue careers related to information technology.

Some examples of BETF-funded programs include:

• Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) - Local chapters conduct SITES training programs for K-12 youth in their communities. These programs are designed to expose our youth to the concepts of computers and give them the expertise to develop web applications.
• High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Alumni - BETF is working with a number of volunteers around the country to make contact with alumni from a quarter century of high school computer competitions. It is our effort to actualize the BDPA continuum of taking our community "from the classroom to the boardroom". We intend to maintain contact with HSCC Alumni throughout their college and professional careers.
• BDPA IT Showcase - Dr. Jesse Bemley accepted the challenge of creating a program that would (a) provide an outlet for college students to be showcased at the annual BDPA technology conference and (b) encourage our young people to continue their education into Ph.D. programs in science, technology, engineering or mathematics [EXAMPLE]. We want to see the BDPA IT Showcase program expanded in 2010 and beyond.

BETF seeks to establish relationships with individuals and families that recognize the importance of higher education and information technology as positive choices for the youth in our communities to be successful.

BETF provides you with a receipt after your donation for income tax purposes since financial contributions to BETF are 100% tax-deductible. Your choice to help will make the student’s choice to want to learn more easier.

Please choose to give today.

National BDPA Elects New Officers -- Congratulations to Monique Berry and Charles Moore

National BDPA held elections last week during the 31st annual BDPA Technology Conference in Raleigh NC. Monique Berry (Philadelphia) won a unanimous vote to serve as our National BDPA President-Elect (2010-2011). She will subsequently serve as national president in 2012-2013. Monique has been chapter president-elect (2006-2007) and chapter president (2008-2009) in Philadelphia over the past four year. It is worth noting that the chapter has won the highest accolades given out to a chapter -- Chapter of the Year -- in each of the past three years.

Monique added to her legacy by being named the 2009 BDPA Chapter President of the Year.

Monique goes into the national leadership arena with a great deal of momentum. It is my hope that she and the incoming national president, Yvette Graham (Chicago) will form a mighty union that will take BDPA to greater levels of measurable success in 2010 and beyond. We can no longer afford to stagnate ... as we've done over the past few years.

The delegates also voted in a new Vice President-Finance (VPF) last week in Raleigh NC. Charles Moore (Charlotte) won a tightly-contested election over current national VPF Monica Bowe (Cleveland). I am not as comfortable or confident that the delegates made the right decision. I tend to think that the majority of the delegates voted with their hearts and not their heads on this one. Charles is a great guy ... but, I think that he is wrong-headed about a number of his election objectives (e.g., "Obtain BDPA’s 501(c)3 tax status").

I hope that Mr. Moore proves me wrong. I hope that he becomes a strong and disciplined financial leader that inspires the trust and fealty of all BDPA members. Further, I hope that he figures out a way to keep Monica Bowe on his team in 2010-2011. That would be a great sign of leadership on his part.

Personally, I will miss serving on the National BDPA Board of Directors with Yvette, Monique and Charles. I understand that the delegates decided to remove the BETF Executive Director from the National BDPA Board of Directors. I think that it was a short-sighted move. However, it is consistent with the short-sighted direction of our current national leader.

Time will tell if BDPA can re-focus on the big picture when it comes to programs, services, membership and finance. I have the utmost in confidence in incoming national leadership team (Yvette and Monique). I hope that BDPA can survive the new few months until the new team is officially in place on January 1, 2010.

In the meantime, I will continue to focus on building a strong national foundation that can provide additional financial resources in support of BDPA's local and national education & technology programs in 2010 and beyond. I know that Yvette and Monique beleive in the BDPA Foundation. I hope that Charles will take time to figure it out before he takes office.

I no longer hold out hope for the current national leader. She could never see the vision for BETF as evidenced by her unwillingness to work in synergy with us over the past 20 months.

Anyhow, I hope that all BETF-blog readers join me in wishing the best of luck to Yvette and Monique as they begin transition planning for 2010. It should be a remarkable year of hope and change for all of us that love BDPA. What say u?