Learning Social Media Secrets and Science at The Mix in July!
The Cal Academy TechTeens will be leading fun social media trainings and science discussions every Wednesday in July at The Mix youth media center at the San Francisco Public Library. All teens are welcome from 3-4pm to this free workshop. No prior experience or technology necessary, just enthusiasm and curiosity.
Here’s the official description of the workshop:
Learn the secrets of using social media tools like Instagram, Twitter and Vine from the California Academy of Sciences' TechTeens . Use your new social media skills to discuss and debate exciting sciences issues! No experience necessary - great for meeting other teens and learning real job and team skills! Drop ins welcome or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/social-media-secrets-tickets-16721087222
Sneak Preview of “The Mix” Youth Center at the SF Library!
Tomorrow is the grant opening of “The Mix,” a new teen-designed youth center focusing on technology and STEM at the San Francisco Public Library main branch. For the last four years, the California Academy of Sciences has been a central partner in the development of “The Mix,” alongside our friends at BAVC, KQED, the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, and the library itself. So it’s super exciting seeing “The Mix” go from just a crazy idea to a real youth space opening to the public on Thursday!
“The Mix” is more than just another youth center at the library, although it certainly is that. It’s a fully teched out facility that will enable Bay Area young people to explore a wide variety of technology tools, projects, challenges, and programs, as well as learn about science, the arts, and their city.
Here’s some of the coolness that some of the educators and teens at the Cal Academy got to check out earlier this week.
The entrance to The Mix is conveniently located on the main floor of the library, right off of the Larkin Street entrance.
Just to the left of the entrance is a small makerspace, where a MakerBot2 was busy constructing some cool thing.
Past the entrance and to the right is probably the most expected part of “The MIx,” a set of book shelves stocked with young adult-focused books. The two shelves stacked with manga were really enticing to me and a lot of the teens who were there. We compared our favorite titles and wondered about the “Attack on Titan” movie coming out.
Right nearby were several computer stations that have some cool audio production equipment.
Next to that is a kiosk where young people can check out iPads and PC laptops!
Around the corner is a large open space with carpeted, tiered seating. This spot looks ideal for youth showcases, performances, and presentations of their work for each other. (Hopefully the sneak preview and opening festivities will be the last times that this area is occupied by a bunch of older people.)
In the middle of “The Mix” are two of the coolest rooms: a video production booth with a retractable green screen, and an audio production room. During the sneak preview, teens were already creating dope beats and mixes. I predict that will be a very popular space!
Of course the most important part of “The Mix” arrives on Thursday: the youth! I can’t wait to see how they choose to use the space, collaborate, create cool media, and celebrate their work together. Our Cal Academy teens will be piloting programs there all summer, and then will continue to support “The Mix” into the school year.
The opening celebration of “The Mix” is tomorrow, Thursday June 18, at the downtown public library at 100 Larkin Street. The festivities start at 11am and go all day. Come on by and say hi the Cal Academy teens, who will be showcasing some of their work in the atrium.
