Black Rocket

If you’re up on your financial news, you may have seen the urgent warnings from the financial institutions recently predicting a recession “unlike any other.”

Despite these early signs and dire predictions, we here at Black Rocket are encouraging families and educators to invest in their future through recession-proof skills. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education is one of the largest growing fields, globally, and is creating new jobs and opportunities at an almost unprecedented speed.  We predict that it will be these skills, taught to children at a young age, that will help solve many of our future problems. Based on research conducted by Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, we know that “There are 627,000 open tech jobs in the U.S. alone and the majority are software developers or engineers. High demand means job opportunities.” But STEM Education isn’t just changing the lives of the children taking Black Rocket programs, it is transforming educators and their practices as well.

Mark Grundel, a former elementary classroom teacher and Teacher of the Year, began working with Black Rocket in 2015, as a part-time instructor and supervisor.  “Black Rocket’s philosophy and approach to using creative technology in the classroom, helped transform my career as an educator. I began to view technology as a means for students to begin producing content, not just consuming it” as tends to be the typical school model. 

Another instructor, who wished to remain anonymous, told us that the skills he learned while instructing with Black Rocket opened up new career pathways and opportunities beyond the classroom, giving him many of the technical skills needed to advance his career.

While Black Rocket is helping to transform the lives of its instructors, the biggest growth opportunities are found among the children who take the programs. 

Learning a new skill at a young age can be transformational for a child.  Students are often not given the opportunity to explore with creative technology in the classroom. Therefore, they must seek alternative methods of learning skills such as coding, game design, and app development.  While free resources are available on YouTube, many children learn best while being given direct instruction through a trained professional. Many camps and programs of this sort can cost over $1,000 a week and are not available to the general public.  

At Black Rocket we believe that STEM Education should be affordable and attainable for all. That is why we partner with many local organizations, such as K-12 Schools, Parks and Recs, and Community Colleges and Universities to bring low-cost STEM Education to children ages 8-14.  Often less than half the cost, Black Rocket offers cutting-edge, innovative curriculum, using industry-grade software and games that children are already invested in, such as Minecraft and Roblox, to teach many STEM and career skills.   While inflation continues to rise, Black Rocket has remained committed to keeping its programs equitable and affordable for the general public, partnering with many community organizations to offer scholarships for free and low-cost camps and services.

So, while BlackRock has warned that “2023 will be a year of recession” you can help your child through Black Rocket’s recession-proof camps and programs. 

For more information on Black Rocket camps, to become a community partner, or to teach with Black Rocket, reach out to our team at help@blackrocket.com.