Community Education Initiative catalyzes learning in more than 600 communities
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With a focus on equity, Apple now works with more than 150 educational partners around the world to provide access to coding, creativity, and workforce opportunities
Through its Community Education Initiative, Apple works with more than 150 partners to expand access to new learning opportunities across more than 600 communities.
Several weeks ago, California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) welcomed more than 300 elementary and middle school students from across Los Angeles to its Center for Innovation in STEM Education (CISE) lab for a “STEAM Max” experience. The event gave participants from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn new science and technology skills — including app design. That same week, the university kicked off after-school coding clubs at six elementary and middle schools, and began hosting a regular Saturday STEM Exploration Day where activities are coached by CSUDH computer science majors.
CSUDH is part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative (CEI), which launched in 2019 to bring coding, creativity, and career opportunities to learners of all ages, and to communities that are traditionally underrepresented in technology. Since then, the company has rapidly expanded this work to learners across 99 countries and regions, and all 50 states, building on years of collaboration with educators and communities.
Through CEI, Apple teams up with with schools, educational institutions, and community-based organizations to provide Apple hardware, scholarships, financial support, educator resources, and access to teams of Apple experts who work side by side with educators to enhance student learning with technology. Apple collaborates with each partner organization to customize and enhance programming to support the community’s goals, bringing together Apple’s unique combination of hardware, software, and professional learning resources to transform students’ in-school and extracurricular educational experiences.
In the two years since CSUDH first teamed up with Apple, the university has brought new STEAM experiences to nearly 2,000 students and teachers across greater Los Angeles — and expects to reach another 4,000 learners across 40 schools with programming this year. The university also helps educators obtain their certification in computer science instruction to ensure California has enough teachers for coding and IT workforce training classes.
“What astonishes me the most is what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time because of this unique partnership with Apple,” said Dr. Kamal Hamdan, director of CSUDH’s CISE lab. “Thousands of students who would have never had access to this type of learning have gone though one of our programs, and you can’t put a dollar amount on those experiences. It’s a testament to the fact that when two organizations with like-minded values put their hearts and their heads toward a common goal, the sky is the limit in terms of how many lives we can change.”
With a focus on equity and access, Apple’s Community Education Initiative brings coding, creativity, and workforce opportunities to communities that have historically been under-resourced.
CSUDH’s ambitious growth plans are reflective of the ongoing expansion of Apple’s CEI work,
