Techiesday

Since 1999, the goal of TechiesDay has been to provide a long-term solution to the ongoing need for qualified technology professionals in the United States by promoting career awareness and achievement.

As in previous years, the success of this campaign is largely tied to the involvement of business, government and education organizations at a grass-roots level.

For ideas on ways that you or your organization can get involved in TechiesDay 2002, review the suggestions below:

Volunteer to speak at your local school about the options in the tech field. Volunteer to work in your local school or community center’s computer lab.
Invite a high-school student to job-shadow you for a half day.
Build a website that your local high school can use to educate students about technology trends and career options.
Invite a group of students to tour your company's tech department.
Create your own website and write e-booklets about cool tech careers and then promote the site at local youth organizations.
Allow your tech employees to have October 1, 2002 off to volunteer their time at one of the non-profit organizations participating in this year's event.
Offer to write a newsletter article for one of our featured non-profit organizations.

2002 EVENTS

Tech Corps Iowa
From Oct.1 through Oct.4, volunteers from Tech Corps Iowa will be offering two events. First, assistance with computer equipment will be provided to rural teachers in central Iowa, since the legislature cut 30% from public school tech budgets. Second, computer "Demolition Derbies" will be offered again primarily to students in grades 6-12 to help them learn how to recycle and recondition PC's. The Derbies are made possible in part by a grant from TurnerFoundation (Captain Planet Foundation).

TECH CORPS Illinois
On October 1st, TECH CORPS Illinois will work with a growing number of schools in Chicago and the greater metro area to participate in TechiesDay 2002. Volunteers will be visiting schools and talking to students about their careers in technology, the impact of technology in our lives, or using the Internet to study and to research. Other volunteers will demonstrate the use of their favorite personal tech devices. By all accounts, TechiesDay 2001 was a tremendous success and very worthwhile. Students and volunteers had a great time.

Leading the effort along with the Society for Information Management (SIM) and the IIT Digital Media Center, TECH CORPS Illinois is seeking techie volunteers to visit one or more of these schools. This is a great corporate citizenship opportunity, as well as personally rewarding community involvement for all techies.

Partners for Edcation & Business, Inc.
We are a non-profit organization involved in providing school-to-work opportunities year-round for students and teachers in the CNY area (grades K-12).

This will be our 4th year coordinating local job shadowing and speaker activities with local businesses on Techies Day!

Local schools or businesses interested in participating in Techies Day 2002, please contact us to set up a job shadow or tour or speaker for your organization.

We currently will have three, 1-hour slots available for high school juniors/seniors to visit Syracuse Research Corporation in North Syracuse and learn about I.T. careers. Groups of 8-10 students accompanied by a teacher will be able to visit on Techies Day in the morning.

Philadelphia area TechiesDay 2002
The Philadelphia area TechiesDay 2002 is being organized by a partnership of the Business Educating Students in Technology (BEST)/The Reinvestment Fund, the School District of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Academies, and the Philadelphia Youth Network.

This is a one-day event scheduled for October 9, 2002, in which employers host high school students from IT programs for a 3 - 4 hour program to illustrate IT careers and to encourage students to enter the IT field.

This local event is a long-term solution to developing the future workforce for information technology (IT) careers. The initiative is a challenge to corporations, employers and individuals to inspire young people to pursue the knowledge they need to choose and to succeed in technology careers.

Efforts are being organized in Chester County and in Philadelphia. Organizers from each county are collaborating together to develop TechiesDay into a regional event. Chester County’s Information Technology Action Group, a consortium of employers and educational partners, initiated TechiesDay in 1999. Their information can be found at www.chestercountyit.org.

Open Door Education Foundation
In 2002, Rather than a specific event planned for October 1, this is an ongoing, year-round commitment, with the overall enhancement being called "Cool Sisters for Computer Science" (Cool Sisters). It is an extensive initiative, involving the development and implementation of nine on line educational outreach activities. Cool Sisters will be a fun, interactive, educational, and inspirational on line resource which will help young women understand and appreciate the advantages and opportunities that an IT education and career can provide to them now and in their future and which will dispel the mystery and the myths that cause them to avoid studying computers and information technology.

Northland Technology Consortium
On October 15th, the NTC is sponsoring a Technology Fair. The event is being held after the actual Techies Day due to a consolidated effort between the NTC, Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and the Duluth News Tribune. This combined event will be a Technology Fair which will include booths of technology providers as well as breakout sessions provided by companies such as Microsoft, Citrix, and Monet, a local wireless internet access provider.

CABLExpress Technologies
On October 1, 2002, CABLExpress Technologies in Syracuse, New York will participate in National TechiesDay by hosting 30 students from a local high school who are in an advanced networking class at their school. They will be spending a half day at CABLExpress, including a luncheon for all of our techies and the students.