Youth Technology Corps at ETHS donates 70 refurbished computers

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Youth Technology Corps, an after-school club at Evanston Township High School, recently donated 70 computers to families at Camp Kuumba, a summertime program for grade school students in Evanston. The ETHS students had been repairing the used computers during the spring semester. The handoff of refurbished computers took place at ETHS in The Hub on June 11.

YTC is the brainchild of Dave Finkel. Finkel, 77, is YTC’s behind-the-scenes fundraiser, cheerleader, consummate networker and promoter.

“We have college and high school kids who have used their technology skills to do amazing things together,” Finkel said. “They’ve also developed skills in leadership, presentation, teaching and working in groups. They’ve been exposed to working with international students. YTC is preparing them to teach others anywhere in the world.”

Learning is passed on from the more experienced students to less experienced ones. Students are also mentored by former club members currently in college.

Donations come primarily from local businesses upgrading their equipment. They donate old laptops and desktop computers to the club.

The ETHS students removed existing data, also called “wiping” the data, and fixed broken components. They also learned about robotics. Robotics is another tie-in to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) learning.

Throughout the spring, the students worked on more than 100 computers. They were then refurbished and ready to be donated. Each computer came with information about how the new owners could apply for low-cost internet service if needed. There were also maps showing the availability of hotspots throughout Evanston.

The 2022-2023 YTC co-presidents, Ava Moseley and Emma Bernal, involved everyone in the group in projects. They also encouraged more girls within ETHS to check out the club.

On posters and online photos, the smiling faces of the graduating seniors with the names of their intended colleges greeted guests.

The new club co-presidents are Cecilia Bilski, Michael Odulukwe and Allen Tieng.

Andrew Thomas, founder of the ETHS chapter of YTC, was there, too.

At least one ETHS parent is still involved with the club even though her children have graduated from ETHS. Angela James is a pharmaceutical researcher, drug developer and expert in pharmaceutical sciences and metrics. She joined the YTC board and is now one of its co-chairs. She said she loves how the group emphasizes STEM learning.

Denise Clark, director of student activities and the student success center at ETHS, was there, too.

“They are an awesome group of kids. It’s great that YTC is available to help kids like them find their passion,” she said.

The club’s administrators and mentors have established international relationships with students in Mexico, Ghana and Ethiopia. The club students have started teaching students in these countries about robotics and how to refurbish computers.

In April, two international fellows were assigned to the school’s YTC club through the State Department’s Community Engagement Exchange program.

Hossam Basha is an electrical engineer from Egypt; Queendoline (Eslien) Tsuses is an program administrator in public management from Namibia. Basha and Tsuses were two of only 130 fellows, chosen from more than 6,000 applicants from more than 170 countries.

Basha and Tsuses are also developing their own online programs to bring back to Egypt and Namibia, respectively. Eventually they hope to establish an online mentoring program between their communities and YTC at ETHS.

Each waiting family was paired with a YTC student. Families chose either laptop or desktop; new monitors were provided for desktops.

There were demonstrations and signup forms for the introductory robotics camp for kids as young as first grade.

There were also signup forms for an advanced camp to introduce robotics and micro-engineering circuitry (minimum of 7th grade). Those campers will also learn to program in C++, a computer language.

Students do not need prior experience to enroll in either camp.

After families chose their computer, their assigned student took them to a room set up for final testing. There they were “introduced” to their new computer. Students walked their families through each step, from turning the machine on, signing in, visiting websites and shutting it down.

Other refurbished computers were donated to the Childcare Network of Evanston. Carol Teske, executive director, said in an email, “We are grateful to the ETHS Youth Technology Corps for their donation of eight refurbished laptop computers for our families, and we look forward to continuing this beneficial partnership.”

Youth Technology Corps’ budget support comes from grants and fundraising. Their new campaign begins July 1. Donations can be made at www.youthtechnologycorps.org

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Wendi Kromash is curious about everything and will write about anything. She tends to focus on one-on-one interviews with community leaders, recaps and reviews of cultural events, feature stories about... More by Wendi Kromash