On November 29, a group of young people stood in front of a crowd at The Link coworking space in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, to present their idea for a watch-like smart device that could monitor a user’s vital signs. to spot signs of anger. and prompt them to perform guided breathing exercises. The device will also connect via Bluetooth to a virtual reality headset that can guide users through conflict scenarios.
Such high-tech demonstrations are common in Kendall Square, but the presenters were not a team of PhD students but local Cambridge youth who were part of the Lemelson-MIT Leaders Building the Future Together (LIFT) program a part of.
The LIFT project, in partnership with My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) in Cambridge, provides local residents aged 18 to 24 with an intensive six-week course covering invention, technology and entrepreneurship. The program, in conjunction with MBK’s mental health coaching sessions, requires participants to develop solutions to problems they see in their communities.
“We are working hard to bring inclusive invention and innovation into our communities, especially for those who have traditionally been excluded from such spaces,” said Michelle Lemelson-MIT project coordinator · Sullivan said during the final pitch. “They also have really good ideas, and the Cambridge community is our backyard. As we work across the country, we want to be part of the local community.”
For MBK Cambridge, a nonprofit that supports local youth and parents, the partnership provides an opportunity to tap into MIT’s innovative resources and ecosystem.
“One of MBK’s goals is to provide a springboard for the 21st century economy,” said Ty Bellitti, co-president of MBK Cambridge. “Many young people in Cambridge are very energetic, but we are not 100% convinced that a traditional academic environment can stimulate their genius. Kendall Square is just a stone’s throw from where these young people grew up, and they not only have access to architecture Objects and the exchange of ideas within these buildings is a given.”
Many participants stated that exposure changed their perspective on careers.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s been great to work with MIT,” said Cambridge resident Khalib Dottin. “I have heard about this school my whole life. It is an honor to be able to work with them.”
purposeful plan
The collaboration began this spring when MBK’s other co-president, Tony Clark, partnered with Lemelson-MIT as part of a program for local high school students.
“Tony would come and tell me about it every week,” Bellity recalled. “He said, ‘It’s incredible what these kids are doing. It really opens their minds to the possibilities of invention.'”
MBK is already planning a mental health coaching program for this fall, so it partnered with Lemelson-MIT to include a course on inventing technology to aid mental health.
Every Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., Lemelson-MIT will work with students to provide them with skills such as identifying problems, prototyping and getting feedback, and on Wednesdays MBK will run a mental health coaching program.
“Learning about mental health can be challenging because you’re learning about your own mental health and where you are with anxiety and depression, and often things pop up because you see it in yourself or in friends and family, “Belliti said. “But it’s also great to see young people coming to the realization that mental health discussions are important. We’re normalizing these conversations.”
Participants are paid by the hour, which requires them to put in several hours of work each week. But Clark said it’s not about the money. He knew this because a week before the presentation, participants called him late at night asking him to come into their center and work part-time on their projects.
“We can’t kick them out,” Clark joked.
Participants formed teams, and Clark said there was a competitive atmosphere. But he also enjoys seeing the team working together to help each other solve different technical and business problems.
“This is a great opportunity,” said participant Abdel Dilir. “I have never had an experience like this where I create new ideas for society. It’s definitely been a challenging process, but my team caught up quickly and every day we get better and make progress. “
Clark and Bellity began to view entrepreneurship as a promising career path for their young men.
“There are over 70 companies on the Cambridge Nasdaq, and they all started with an idea,” Clark said. “When you talk to our young people you realize their dreams may not be found in typical job descriptions, so how do they create that path for themselves? The recent Cambridge elections were all about rent, but These young people want to own their own things, and part of being an entrepreneur is owning their own time. That’s critical for these young people.”
Beyond the classroom
Near the end of the program, Belletti brought participants to Microsoft as part of an effort to expose participants to careers in technology. While they were waiting in the lobby, the young men at MBK were discussing Raspberry Pi circuit boards and Micro:Bit. Some are divided over what technology they would use to build the drones.
“No matter what we expose young people to, they come in speaking one language and walk out speaking another,” Belliti said. “They’re talking about getting into makerspaces and The Hive [co-working space] and 3D printers continue their inventions. It was a beautiful thing to witness. “
Many participants stated that they would continue their projects after the program ended. For example, Dirir entered the program thinking he wanted to become a financial advisor. The program got him thinking about becoming an engineer and building things to solve problems.
““Especially as a person of color, this program made my potential much clearer,” DiLeer said. “It showed me some missing pieces, like the importance of networking. “
The program is less focused on ensuring participants become startup founders and more on providing them with a broader set of skills that they can use regardless of their career path. It also aims to show them they have what it takes to lead the businesses whose skyscrapers dot the skyline around Kendall Square.
“Many of these young people want to pursue careers in technology, and this experience solidifies their decision to enter the field,” Belliti said. “This makes us proud because we want our young people to move into the C-suite layer and make a living for themselves, allowing them to live the life of their dreams. We have examples of this in their own cities. They don’t have to go far to find it.”