Take Five: Jamesetta James (BDPA Greater Columbia)

Jamesetta James has worked the past few years as the national coordinator of the BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC).  Earlier this year she provided her review of the 2011 YTC experience in Chicago. She has had a positive impact on hundreds of young people over the years and we thought it would be good to hear from Jamesetta as part of our Take Five interview series:

---

1. How did you get involved with BDPA? - My first involvement with BDPA was assisting Mildred Allen in coordinating the YTC presenters and workshops for the 2010 conference in Philadelphia.
2. What is the most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA? - The most rewarding aspect of working with BDPA is seeing immediate results with the workshops that the students are involved in whether it be soft skills or developing new IT skills. The students are immediately equipped with knowledge that can be applied to their currents studies.
3. Can you share a 'success story' about any of your past HSCC students? - Although this is my first year working with the high school computer competition (HSCC) students from the Greater Columbia Chapter, the success I witnessed was how the veteran HSCC students embraced the new members of the team. Great leadership skills were displayed and one great lesson observed was that team work was always the focal point in their preparation for the 2011 HSCC competition.
4. What would future evolution or change would you like to see in BDPA's STEM-based training? - STEM based programs are very isolated in how it operates for each BDPA chapter. Unfortunately, this problem exists for school districts as well. The change I would like to see is the way that the training is implemented. The STEM base training curriculum should be transparent in such that is the format used by all chapters. The universal repository of technology resources created by Zack Garbow is truly is an excellent starting point. To ensure that BDPA students are receiving the STEM training parallel to the school district STEM curriculum I think that partnerships should be formed between the school district or districts and the BDPA chapter.
5. Any advice for people considering a donation to BETF? - One advise for individuals, company's or corporation that are considering a donation to BETF is to visit one BDPA training class. They will witness immediate return on their investment. Seeing the skills that students, from all grade levels, gain through the training provided by the chapters will demonstrate why our donors should continue their support in BDPA's efforts.

---

I appreciate Jamesetta for the work that she has been doing for BDPA on a local and national level. She recently joined a number of YTC students on a special edition of the BDPA iRadio Show. Click here to listen to the archive version of the Youth Technology Camp iRadio Show!

Review: 2011 BDPA Youth Technology Camp

National BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC) coordinator Jamesetta James and her team provided a comprehensive program of hands-on activities and workshops for about 100 middle- and high-school students during the national BDPA conference held earlier this month. Jamesetta has high expectations for BDPA youth. As she wrote,

"I fully expect young IT professionals and entrepreneurs to emerge from this conference. Let me tell you why:

• I believe that younger minds learn faster then older minds and are better equipped to adapt to changing environments, such as in the realm of information technology.
• I believe that youth are better positioned to take risks and embrace new innovative technologies and methodologies.
• I believe that maturity comes with experience, not with a degree. The sooner youth are exposed to new and challenging experiences and responsibilities, the sooner they will mature into responsible, productive individuals."

The 13th annual YTC had some new and unique elements that included a graphics design contest and X-Box gaming contest. There were over 40 students in a hands-on workshop entitled Sole Plus Design with Converse Shoes. The objective of the workshop was to provide hands-on techniques using Photo Shop to create a unique fusion of artistic expression that will be applied to Converse canvas sneakers.

Each team created a unique name for their design group and only students that were not members of a design group were allowed to vote. The student designs were voted on by their peers. 

The design team with the winning graphic was called TAG. TAG team members were all from our BDPA Twin Cities chapter - Dakari Davison, Dallyn Davison, Daze Davison, Elisha Phillip, and Michael Quick. 

Photo of the winning team was taken by the conference photographer, Rodney Wright. Each team member will receive a pair of Converse shoes displaying the original design. Also, additional pairs of Converse sneakers bearing the original design will be donated to a local Chicago women and children’s shelter on September 17th, 2011. Mr. Brian Miller (Sole Plus Design) and BDPA Chicago chapter president Pam Sexton will deliver the Converse shoes to the shelter.

Secondly, the winners for the  2 XBOX competitions are: Dallyn Davison (Twin Cities) for NBA Live and Daniel Dyer (Richmond) for Call of Duty Black OPS. In addition to the gift packs they received from the Microsoft Store located in Oak Brook, IL, they will also be receiving prizes from the Play N Trade, the Lansing location. Bernard Key (Key Link Technologies) will be coordinating the delivery of these prizes to our winners.

Also, the members of the winning team for the Project Management for Teens workshop were: Tyra Foulks (Gr Columbia), Michael James (Gr Columbia), Curtis Jenkins (Richmond), Erica Mayberry (Twin Cities), Samantha Spears (Twin Cities) and Keautishay Young (Chicago).

The objective of the Project Management for Teens workshop, conducted by William Smith, was to take students through the four phases that is required to complete a project: defining, planning, implementing and finalization. Students were given a project in which they were to complete in a team and later present their project to their peers. At the end of this workshop, each student was equipped with the basic project management skill where they can build upon and utilized in their school assignments and also include on their resume.

Lastly, the winners of the Network and Student Mock Interview workshop are: Farida Labaran (Chicago) and Kyle Williams (Chicago). They each received prizes awarded by our Interviewing for Success workshop presenter, Debra Farmer. The junior and senior high school students were given an assignment to network with at least 3 professionals and gather specific information outlined in the Interviewing for Success workshop. Points were awarded to each completed networking sheet turned in by the student. On Friday, each junior and senior student were taken through a mock interview where pre-determined questions were asked by our very own BDPA professionals. The students were given a score of 1 through 4 for each question asked based on their responses.

Much love to YTC coordinator Jamesetta James and the others who have grown this program into such a powerful experience for our young people! Well done!

What STEM Programs Does BDPA Provide for Young People?

BDPA Orlando chapter president Pablo More hosts a weekly lunch'n'learn webinar. Today, the BDPA lunch'n'learn focused on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs that exist within BDPA.

The topics (presenters) were:

IT Showcase (Dr. Jesse Bemley) - Dr. Bemley provided a quick historical context about his 25-year history with STEM-training in BDPA, concluding with an overview of the IT Showcase.

High School Computer Competition (Danna Sturdivant) - Danna will discuss HSCC programs at high level.

Youth Technology Camp (Jamesetta James and Mildred Allen) will discuss the YTC program set to take place in Philadelphia PA on July 29-31, 2010.

BDPA Foundation (Wayne Hicks) Wayne will discuss ways that BETF supports SITES Programs and fundraising efforts.

BDPA Lunch'n'Learn: STEM Programs for Young People

View more presentations from Wayne Hicks.

I encourage you to check out the centralized BDPA Calendar of Events so that you don't miss the next Lunch'n'Learn session!

I would also love to hear your thoughts on the 30-page .ppt presentation that was used during this session. Any questions or comments?