ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Dozens of teenagers in the Rochester City School District are spending part of their summer building their own working computers at the BuildIT Computer Camp.
“Finding out how technology advances game play and all that, it got me into like… oh, I want the best technology,” says Victor Quintana, a 17-year-old RCSD student who loves gaming. But that technology can get pricey. “I don’t have a lot of WiFi, I didn’t have the updated phones so, I guess I was in the lower tier but I manage, I manage,” Quintana says.
As a high school student, managing means he sometimes needs to hit the library to use the WiFi to get his homework done and he’s not alone. ”Internet access is not a guarantee, especially in the household so, imagine yes your phone does connect to the internet but could you write a term paper on your phone?” says Megan Alchowiak, Executive Director of Shft2.
RCSD does provide students with Chromebooks and WiFi devices are available for those in need. Still, recent census data indicates that 20% of people in the City of Rochester remain without internet service and 17% of residents only have a cellular data plan on their phone.
That’s where the Build It Computer Camp comes in. It’s a partnership between Great Lakes Gaming and Shift2.
“They really get hands on experience of how a computer works but not only the parts and pieces but how things talk to each other inside and it’s a real fun and exploring environment,” Alchowiak says.
High schoolers from across the city spend a week learning to build a computer–the hardware and the software–and build skills that will help them today and later in life. “A lot of them don’t know each other when they first come here, it’s a combination of a lot of different schools so, building those friendships also happens a lot throughout the week,” Alchowiak explains.
When it’s over, “at the end of the week, they get to upgrade and take home their own laptop for them to use at their house, for their personal use, for the families use, and that’s one of the benefits of this camp that they get the experience and they get the hands-on but then they also get to take home a quality device for them to use,” Alchowiak says.
The laptops come with built in programs to help with homework that don’t require the internet too.
Quintana is happy for the knowledge of how to build and maintain a computer and the inspiration it’s bringing for his future. His advice to others? “If you don’t try, you’re just going to stay closed like you’re going to have a lid over you and that’s just no, if you don’t grow, you’re just kinda wasting your time here on earth,” he says.
This camp is free for RCSD students and there are two more sessions this summer that have some open space.
To learn more about the camp or sign up, click here.
To learn more about other gaming and e-sports camp (charges may apply), click here.
*AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News 10 uses AI*
Free computer camp helps bridge digital divide for Rochester City School District students WHEC.com.
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