Our Vision in Progress

We are building a Community Innovation Hub with a dedicated youth-oriented informal STEM learning center and neighborhood business incubator and accelerator in the historic Century 21 dome theater in West San Jose. The Hub will be a space with more than 20,000 sq. ft of classrooms, meeting rooms, workspaces, tools & equipment ready for STEM projects. The initial focus of the Hub will be five program domains: virtual reality, robotics, game design, web design, and mobile app development. In addition, the Hub will provide low-cost co-working space and support for new and existing neighborhood businesses and social entrepreneurs to incubate or accelerate their operations.  
 
The Hub will use project-based learning and informal STEM activities to foster an entrepreneurial mindset and provide youth and young adults with broader perspectives on their future pursuits. The Hub will use hackathons, pitch competitions, and global contests to inspire and engage youth and young adults to build interest in STEM and entrepreneurship.  
 
The Hub will look to partner with and amplify existing STEM and business support efforts in San José. In addition, the Hub will actively solicit San José nonprofit youth STEM hobby groups that often must scramble for space to use the Hub's resources.  

Entrepreneurial Skills Building 

The Hub will partner with the Network for Teaching in Entrepreneurship (NFTE) to ensure that the entrepreneurial mindset is a part of all training. In addition, providing hands-on projects in a group environment allows youth to learn and practice soft skills needed for real-world success.  
The Hub will use Intuit's Design for Delight approach and NFTE's Start It Up Program to prepare young adults and those seeking career transitions for the new, more dynamic economic environment.  

A Place for Neighborhood Business 

Leveraging the resources available for SJPL, SBDC, SCORE, and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, the Hub will help launch and maximize new and existing neighborhood small businesses, delivering a range of services from training and consulting, access to capital, networking, and special programs for women. 
 
The Hub will supply low-cost co-working space and support for new or existing neighborhood businesses and social entrepreneurs to incubate or accelerate their operations. 

A New Home for STEM/Business Competitions 
The Hub will allow teams to meet outside school. It will make it easier for parents & mentors to find needed resources and help teams to learn & thrive. In addition to the robotics competitions above, the Hub will prepare teams for: 

• Business pitch competitions 
• Hackathons 
• App competitions - International Technovation Challenge, nationwide Congressional App Challenge.  
• NFTE World Series of Innovation

Hands-On Robotics Lab 

The Hub will provide access to project-based, hands-on FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) programs to introduce students to engineering and coding in an engaging, inclusive, and creative out-of-school or in-class learning environment where young people work collaboratively to solve robotics challenges. 
Hands-on activities are available for ages 4 – 18: 
 
FIRST® Robotics Competition: Grades 9-12 (ages 14-18)  
FIRST® Tech Challenge: Grades 7-12 (ages 12-18)  
FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge: Grades 4-8 (ages 9-16)  
FIRST® LEGO® League Explore: Grades 2-4 (ages 6-10)  
FIRST® LEGO® League Explore & Discover: Grades PreK-1 (ages 4-6)  
The PreK-12 programs inspire innovation and help young people build a better future. 
Find out more about FIRST here.
 
It is expected the older youth in the robotics teams will take a leadership role in guiding the younger groups. In addition, participants in the robotics program will cross-pollinate with other Hub programs. 

CAD Training to Stimulate Upward Mobility 
The Hub will partner with USTEC to bring Computer Aided Design Training to high-school students, veterans, those previously incarcerated and those seeking career transitions. The Hub along with USTEC will work closely with technology companies to ensure that the training is aligned with their workforce needs.