Kenosha YMCA to partner with Jockey to bring a Best Buy Teen Tech Center to the Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy (KELA) later this year in the former Brown Bank building

We are honored to be part of a collaboration announced Tuesday between the City of Kenosha and local partners in youth development, education, technology, career development, and workforce preparation will offer opportunities for local youth, ultimately creating a pipeline of local talent to the area colleges and future employers.

As one part of a plan to develop and revitalize the City’s older neighborhoods, the City of Kenosha is developing the Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy (KELA) in partnership with Carthage College, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Herzing University, Gateway Technical College, Jockey International, Best Buy, the Kenosha YMCA, the Students Engagement thru Groups and Activities (S.E.G.A.) program, gener8tor and the Mahone Fund.

KELA, which is set to open later this year in the former Brown Bank building, located at 23rd Avenue and 63rd Street in the Uptown neighborhood, aims to provide students and young adults with the skills and resources to pursue college and/or career paths.

Jockey is sponsoring the Kenosha YMCA Teen Achievers program. The program is for middle school students and will focus on reading and math, life skills, college and career readiness, positive relationships, and positive identity. It is designed to engage students through project-based learning that will help them explore their interests and prepare for their next step.

Through a partnership with Jockey International, Kenosha YMCA, and the Best Buy Foundation, KELA will host a new Best Buy Teen Tech Center, a safe, after-school space where students will have access to the latest technology and develop critical skills through hands-on activities. Adult mentors and volunteers provide the support for teens to create, innovate and explore their passions in areas like robotics, photography, and music production. Teens will have access to computers, digital cameras, a music studio, virtual reality systems, and 3D printers.

“We are excited and proud to partner with Jockey and the YMCA to bring a Best Buy Teen Tech Center to Kenosha,” said Andrea Wood, Best Buy’s vice president of social impact. “Best Buy’s commitment to improving tech equity among teens has never been more relevant than it is today. We hope the new Teen Tech Center will offer the youth of Kenosha new opportunities to build brighter futures through tech.”

Kenosha YMCA CEO Cindy Altergott added: “The magic of the Kenosha Emerging Leaders Academy will be in the collaboration. Innovation comes from collaboration. We’re all excited to build upon one another’s programming to strengthen the impact that any one of us could have individually. I know I speak for all the partners when I say we are most excited to see what the students will learn and achieve at the Academy and we look forward to seeing them become the next leaders of our community.”

Cindy Altergott, Kenosha YMCA CEO