Written by: Karen Lue, Senior Program Manager for Digital Inclusion and Innovation
Fall and the beginning of a new school year can be a welcome but hectic time for families. New classroom settings, after-school activities, and homework bring busier schedules and anxieties for students and their caregivers alike. The COVID pandemic and remote learning exacerbated existing barriers, particularly in the realm of access to technology and digital skills. Caregivers often do not have the capacity to provide the necessary learning support, while schools are overburdened with tight budgets and outdated facilities and equipment.
We are proud to partner with and support incredible organizations that provide out-of-school-time learning opportunities, tutoring and mentorship, social and emotional learning, innovative STEAM curricula, and career pathways for youth in Allegheny County. Organizations like these help students thrive in and out of the classroom, ensuring that they are exposed to diverse academic and career options in a safe and welcoming environment.
Learn more about some of these partners from our RISE HIGH Grant Partnership program and how you and your family can get involved!
The Promise Center of Homewood
Located in Homewood but serving all surrounding neighborhoods, The Promise Center of Homewood aims to create a nurturing environment for youth and contribute to the greater well-being of the community through youth empowerment programs, health and wellness education and initiatives, and neighborhood development.
Founder Nathan Goodson launched The Promise Center in 2022 after purchasing and renovating the church in which it is located. “I landscaped for the majority of my life and I had the opportunity to purchase a church that I [used to maintain] for the pastor. And I made a promise to him that I would do something for the community.”
A native of Penn Hills, Goodson understands firsthand the need for a stable and nurturing environment outside of school and the home. The Promise Center offers after-school math and reading tutoring every weekday and partners with organizations like UPMC to offer health education and individual and group mental wellness sessions. This summer, they served 74 youth through their camp, which ran for eight weeks and included activities with Carnegie Mellon University’s robotics program, off-site field trips, bike safety trainings, and more.
Goodson is committed to responding to community needs, which is why The Promise Center incorporated physical and mental health and wellness offerings into their programming. The Promise Center received a RISE HIGH grant in our Spring 2024 cycle and used these funds towards purchasing basic hygiene kits and partnering with UPMC to offer personal hygiene workshops.
This fall, The Promise Center has a line-up of programs including a Halloween hayride, Thanksgiving dinner, and a Christmas giveaway. Their after-school program is held Monday through Friday, 3-6:30PM and students can come for homework help, mentorship, and free food.
Want to get involved? Parents and families can email nate@thepchpgh.org to learn more and sign up for various programs. The Promise Center is also looking for volunteers to assist with tutoring and caregiving during their after-school program.
Assemble
Assemble is a community makerspace in Garfield that offers after-school, On the Go (community- and school-based) programs, and programs specifically for highschoolers and adults, such as their Hack the Future program and 21+ nights.
In addition to their popular after-school programming at their space in Garfield, Assemble has a robust slate of school partners at which their teaching artists supplement students’ academic curriculum with tailored learning tracks. Their school partners are located in a range of neighborhoods, from Uptown and the Hill District, to Squirrel Hill, McKeesport, Wilkinsburg, Fox Chapel, Bellevue, and more. Their youth-centered curricula are often created in response to schools’ observations and needs—many public schools do not have the resources or expertise to deliver a wider breadth of STEAM subjects or fully support student interest in a particular subject like animatronics. Assemble is able to step in with their diverse team of teaching artists and expose students, particularly students of color, to STEAM subjects delivered by teachers who look like them.
A Fall 2024 cycle RISE HIGH Grant Partnership awardee, Assemble used the grant funding to develop their Afrofuturism curriculum, adding new tracks including an Afrocomics track for kindergarten through middle school students, and supporting their teachers through lesson planning and teaching. Ja’Sonta Roberts, Assemble’s On the Go Programs Manager, highlighted the importance of the funding in supporting their film and documentary track, “Lights, Camera, Take Action,” where students were tasked with creating a documentary on a cause important to them. “[The RISE HIGH grant] helped support their time, the equipment usage, teacher time to edit… A lot of [this grant] directly helped us support this program expansion, and without it that most likely would not have happened.”
Assemble’s in-house after-school programming has begun for the fall, serving K-8th graders on designated days of the week. Their Hack the Future and Crafternoon programs, which are held on Saturdays for highschoolers, start up in late September. Schedules can be found on their website and through their monthly newsletter.
Want to get involved? Parents and families can go to assemblepgh.org to learn more and sign up their children for various programs. Assemble also offers personalized programming for birthday parties and private event space rentals. Email devon@assemblepgh.org for more information!
Tech25
Tech25, located in Pittsburgh’s Hilltop neighborhood, is an event production training and workforce development center that serves youth and working age adults left behind by traditional educational pathways. They provide hands-on experience with event and broadcasting equipment and technology, developing a direct path to employment in the creative economy. Focusing on underrepresented populations in the event and broadcast industries, Tech25 offers tuition-free and low-cost vocational training, breaking down barriers and providing entry points to people who may not be exposed to these types of career opportunities.
“We try to meet learners, especially youth, at their interest points,” says Co-founder and Executive Director Pete Spynda. “If a student comes in because the want to be a…beatmaker, we can teach them how to make beats, but with our training, we can help them break into the industry.”
Their Start On Success program is run in partnership with Partner4Work, where high school students gain nearly 400 direct training hours in audio production, videography, livestream maintenance, lighting, and more while also providing support in resume building, teamwork, and digital organization. The program equips students with essential technical and professional skills, readying them for future careers in not only event and broadcasting but any career path.
A recent Spring 2025 RISE HIGH Grant Partnership awardee, Tech25 will be using this funding towards their GAP Year Apprenticeship Program, which trains and mentors students for one year upon graduating from high school. This program was created in response to the needs of many of their students who did not have a postsecondary plan, providing paid training and on-the-job experience. This one-year paid apprenticeship bridges the gap between school and career, providing participants the upskilling to command more money at a job upon completion of the program. Participants work anywhere from 20-40 hours/week and the RISE HIGH funds will go directly towards paying their salary.
This fall, Tech25 has a slate of classes, workshops, and concerts lined up. Many of their classes are intergenerational and well-suited for both youth and adults, while their workshops and events are open to the general public.
Want to get involved? To learn more about what is happening this fall, visit tech24pgh.org or follow their Instagram @tech25pgh. Additionally, Tech25 is always looking for individuals in the industry or who are industry-adjacent to teach classes and workshops, ranging from broadcast engineering to financial literacy.
