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Community Buzz is dedicated to keeping you informed of how Georgia Tech engages its community to make a difference.
Community Buzz Newsletter from the Office of Government and Community Relations

Civic Engagement

Westside Communities Alliance Strategy Update
The Westside Communities Alliance (WCA) aims to sustain and advance Georgia Tech’s presence and influence in communities west of campus including Bankhead, Centennial Park, Home Park, Vine City, Washington Park and others west of the I-75/85 connector. With an overarching goal to unite westside stakeholders in a coherent vision for the area’s future, the WCA is moving forward with three primary goals in the short term: anchoring the WCA within westside communities by having a physical presence; achieving long-term sustainability for the WCA; and increasing enrollment from the westside Atlanta Public Schools, from 0 to 25%, by Fall 2016. Pictured above is the InGirls Immersion Day, which brought 35 girls from Sylvan Hills Middle School to Georgia Tech for lab tours and demonstrations. InGirls is an example of the strategies that WCA is pursuing to reach this third goal. Read more >

First Atlanta Science Festival This Week
Atlanta residents of all ages are celebrating the science and technology of the region and its impact on our daily lives during the inaugural Atlanta Science Festival this week. With scientists, engineers and educators from local museums, corporations, K-12 schools and universities, the festival is hosting more than 40 different events for children and adults at venues across the city. Read more >

Anchoring the Festival is the Georgia FIRST Robotics Peachtree Regional, which is free and open to the public at the Georgia World Congress Center Friday and Saturday, March 28-29. Nearly 50 Georgia high school teams as well as others from surrounding states will compete in this sport of the mind designed to expose youth to careers in engineering and research. Learn more >
 

K-12 Outreach

Targeting Georgia’s Disconnected Youth
As the summer draws near, the Office of Government and Community Relations has been working with campus colleagues to promote the plentiful camp offerings at Tech this summer, with a special focus on increasing college exposure among high-risk, high-need audiences. A postcard mailer and website was targeted to teachers and families in Atlanta Public Schools and a statewide network of education professionals working with the University System of Georgia’s Office of Educational Access and Success who work on the front lines with Georgia’s “disconnected youth,” students who face adversities like homelessness and foster care transitions. Pricing varies, but some camp programs offer financial aid for families on Free and Reduced Lunch (aid will be awarded as available).

Visit GoTECH for a list of camps around campus.

Students Promote Reading at Dr. Seuss Day
JumpStart, a program created to develop reading skills in preschool children, celebrated its third annual Dr. Seuss Day Monday, March 3, hosting 110 children from four local Pre-K centers. Themed, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!,” each preschooler was issued a ‘passport’ that was stamped at activity stations for face painting, book readings, cultural activities, and future career demos, to name a few. Alpha Phi sorority and Delta Chi fraternity co-sponsored the event. Jumpstart brings preschool children and students from Georgia State University and Georgia Tech together in a year-long mentoring relationship to build skills vital to a child’s success. Learn more about JumpStart >

Tech Hosts “FIFTEEN” Leadership Program
Leadership and mentoring organization Essential2Life has teamed with Georgia Tech to host a unique, three-year leadership program for students from Maynard Jackson and South Atlanta high schools. Called “FIFTEEN,” the program mentors and advises at-risk youth to take ownership of their future and promote social responsibility within their communities. Students and their parents met on campus for an intensive, five-tier interview process to be selected for the three-year program.

Executive Director Vince Hungate explained the organization’s alternative approach: “Essential2life achieves its mission by uniquely focusing on the first generation college bound and the 75th percentile of students, where other programs focus on the top 10%. We also stress the importance of EQ (emotional intelligence quotient), not IQ.” Learn more >


Get Involved

A Day in the Plane for Kids with Disabilities March 29
The Yellow Jacket Flying Club, the nation's oldest collegiate flying club, will host "A Day in the Plane" at Peachtree Airport this Saturday, March 29, to introduce kids with disabilities to the world of aviation. Learn more and register >

Bellwood Health Day April 11
Student organization YEP! mentors young K-5 students at the Bellwood Boys & Girls club every Friday afternoon, and often centers weekly visits around themes such as science and sports. The third annual Bellwood Health Day will be held on Friday, April 11, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., where YEP! volunteers will raise awareness about nutrition and distribute healthy snacks, t-shirts, and jump ropes to kids at Bellwood. For more information about YEP!, contact Isabelle Recaborde at isarecab@gmail.com.

Around Town: Amplifying Impact
As part of an ongoing community relations strategy, the Institute actively participates in community planning meetings with government, business, and neighborhood organizations. During the past year, Georgia Tech engaged with the following organizations on various initiatives: For more information or to share your community engagement initiatives with the Office of Government and Community Relations, e-mail Stephanie Douglas or Chris Burke with Georgia Tech's community relations team.
The Georgia Tech Office of Government and Community Relations is the Institute’s primary connection to the federal, state, and local governments and communities. Through active advocacy and relationship-building, Government and Community Relations staff members work to exhibit the opportunity of Georgia Tech and build esteem for the Institute in order to achieve its goals of progress and service for all that it touches. For more information, visit www.gov.gatech.edu.

Copyright © 2014 Georgia Tech Office of Institute Relations, All rights reserved.