This past summer, every department at The Possible Zone (TPZ) joined forces to ensure that the young people who were investing their talents and time in our program were treated to a transformative experience.<\/p>\n

Our Discover and Incubate<\/strong> classes\u2014the first two courses in our Eship program–empowered students to nurture their entrepreneurial spirit and further their prototyping skills. They explored their communities and passions, delving into untapped problem spaces and drawing inspiration from seasoned entrepreneurs, internally and externally. And in the case of Incubate, they developed their prototyping skills which were showcased during a successful Marketplace at the Innovation Center.<\/p>\n

We ran our second summer of Deep Dive<\/strong> programming with corporate partner Converse! Our students immersed themselves in the Converse<\/strong> product-design process, with their creativity on full display as they crafted custom sneakers and apparel around specific themes and technical specifications, in addition to participating in extracurricular sessions about the business and marketing processes that support their creative design efforts. It was amazing to see our spaces abuzz with students making their apparel and sneakers, eagerly showing the designs and seeking feedback for continuous improvement from the TPZ team and the Converse volunteers.<\/p>\n

Fashion Forward<\/strong> saw our students exploring the mesmerizing realm of “Textiles + Tech.” With Oye Ajewole’s expert guidance in e-textiles, they ventured into wearables, electronics, and design thinking, culminating in the creation of unique tech-augmented products. Concurrently, the Research & Evaluation team kicked off our gamification efforts by starting a process portfolio that students used to tag the competencies they\u2019re working on \u201cin-vivo!\u201d<\/p>\n

In our expanded College\/Career Exploration<\/strong> offerings this summer, teens explored a roadmap to the world beyond high school. With a combination of meetings, field trips, guest speakers, and the pathways teams\u2019 steady guidance, our students explored fields like IT, biotech, and nursing. Young people informed their future-visioning by visiting colleges, learning about different careers, and bolstering their professional profiles with robust job preparation and college applications.<\/p>\n

Deep appreciation is extended to our dedicated Educators, STEAM Team, and the Operations and Events staff for steering our summer programming; our friends at Converse for their continued, meaningful partnership and commitment to our shared vision; and all the students, staff, and volunteers who explored their passions and shared their talent this summer.<\/p>\n

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