FIELD REPORT NYC AND CHI: Recently it’s been a rare day when the entire EdSurge team is in the same time zone at the same time. Leonard’s just touched down at SFO, fresh off a two-stop tour with HIVE member organizations in NYC and Chicago. HIVE is a diverse, collaboration-minded network of cultural and civic institutions that work with youth in schools and informal learning spaces. The members are as homegrown and niche as Yollocalli and Radio Arte -- youth outreach arms of the National Museum of Mexican Art, and as wide-reaching and established as the New York Public Library and YMCA.
Many HIVE members serve up programs around civic and community engagement, and several incorporate heavy doses of digital media. For example, youth at Free Spirit Media in Chicago produce their own end-to-end sports coverage for local schools, while youth at NYC’s Radio Rookies produce socially relevant pieces such as this series of 9/11 reporting.
We love this side of edtech. There are no talks of blended learning or achievement gaps just highly engaged students building and using the skills to express themselves and loving what they do. If you have a great informal learning organization working in your school or around your community, let us know.
A big shout out to other HIVE organizations Leonard visited, too: Global Kids, People’s Production House, MOUSE, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Public Library, and the Chicago Architecture Foundation. A full list of member institutions can be found here.
