Boys & Girls Club of New Britain Receives $30,000 Grant
By Editor at January 29, 2024 | 8:15 am | Print
The Boys & Girls Club of New Britain have announced that they received a $30,000 grant, payable over two years, from the Comcast Foundation. The donation will be used to expand the My.Future technology initiative, a hands-on technology training that equips Club kids with skills needed to compete in a 21st century economy. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of the launch of My.Future, Comcast announced the grant will provide the Club with funding needed to purchase state-of-the-art equipment and program supplies that allow better academic support for the children and youth who come to the Boys & Girls Club of New Britain.
My.Future is a cutting-edge technology education initiative that provides hands-on experience and enables the Boys & Girls Club of New Britain members to select from more than 40 activities to help them understand how to safely and productively engage online, and identify and develop digital interests – from Internet basics for technology beginners, to robotics, coding, game design and online journalism for advancers learners.
“This generous grant from the Comcast Foundation will help the Boys & Girls Club of New Britain members to develop the technology skills needed to pursue promising careers and thrive in today’s digital world,” said Todd C. Czuprinski, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of New Britain. “Through My.Future, New Britain kids will have the chance to interact with technology in meaningful ways and prepare for bright futures.”
An example of how the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Britain and My.Future is helping kids to get an early start connecting with technology is Angilie, age 8. Perhaps one of the most prominent leaders in the club’s computer technology development program, she has already learned how to use Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Coding and other computer programs with skills learned through My.Future. For an 8 year old, an 18 year old or a 28 year old, Angilie’s computer skills are truly impressive.
“My favorite program is PowerPoint because I like designing the slides and doing fun slide transitions,” she said. “I also like flipping pictures and copying pictures into the program and showing it to others.”
One of the many members that has benefitted from the Comcast Technology Center, Angilie summed up what she ultimately wants to do with her computer knowledge: Teach.
In 2015, the Comcast Foundation invested more than $3 million in Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s (BGCA) My.Future technology initiative. BGCA is using $1.5 million to further develop and build-out the My.Future program. The remaining funding is being awarded to approximately 90 local Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, including Boys & Girls Clubs of New Britain to ensure they have access to the technology, tools and teachers to fully activate the program. The grant is part of Comcast NBCUniversal’s five-year partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), which was announced last year and is valued at tens of millions of dollars.
Since 2011, Comcast and the Comcast Foundation have dedicated more than $240 million in cash and in-kind support to fund digital readiness initiatives nationwide, reaching nearly 3.2 million people through non-profit, digital literacy partners, including Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Comcast has supported local Boys & Girls Clubs for more than a decade, providing more than $100 million in cash and in-kind contributions.
The Boys and Girls Club of New Britain is a youth service organization which provides educational, recreational and prevention programs for children ages 6-18 during out of school times. The Boys and Girls Club of New Britain has been providing service to youth since 1891.
