Source: Snipes / Snipes
SNIPES is making headway in the sneaker game not only by selling the latest kicks, but by serving the community, too. The sneaker retailer has launched the Young Geniuses: Innovation Lab with the goal of fostering a more including sneaker community.
Source: Snipes / Snipes
Snipes partnered with the Atlanta-based STE(A)M Truck to into a fresh crop of creatives of color to design, technology and engineering. The first SNIPES Young Geniuses Innovation Lab—part of the greater Young Geniuses program—launched in Atlanta on October 24. The space is designed for the purpose of teaching design and technical skills that can be applied to the footwear business.
Participants in the program will go through an 8-week curriculum. Sounds like school for kicks, and we ain’t mad.
Per SNIPES:
The SNIPES Young Geniuses: Innovation Lab is an off-site creator’s space where, for 8 weeks, chosen faculty will facilitate workshops focused on teaching students design and technological skills. SNIPES has partnered with STE(AM) TRUCK, a growing fleet of mobile innovation labs that are designed to pull kids out of their comfort zones and give them the opportunity to engage, create and learn using STEAM-driven curriculum and real tools and technologies. With STE(A)M Truck and supporting design partners, SNIPES will develop a program curriculum geared toward challenging students to create universal designs to accommodate the footwear needs of diverse communities, with a dedicated focus on the advancement of footwear in the market. The result will be the development of a functional piece of footwear for an inclusive community.
“At SNIPES, it’s important that we leave a positive impact on our communities,” said Jim Bojko, President of SNIPES USA, in a statement. “We see a huge opportunity in developing more STEM leaders and creators that come from our neighborhoods. The SNIPES Young Geniuses: Innovation Lab will not only teach students about the sneaker industry, innovative technology, and engineering, but it will convey new critical thinking skills and a positive mindset that they can take to any profession.”
Instructors, designers, engineers and local experts have been tapped to speak to the students about topics that include “Sneaker Construction + Deconstruction,” “Entrepreneurship in the Sneaker Industry,” “Computer Design and 3-D Printing,” and more. You thought the sneaker game stopped at collecting and reselling?
STE(A)M Truck is holding down the implementation of the program.
“STE(A)M Truck is thrilled to be a part of this amazing opportunity. Since 2014, we have been supporting students across Metro Atlanta through maker education and design thinking-centered instruction,” said Marsha Francis, Ph.D., Executive Director of STE(A)M Truck, in a statement. “he SNIPES Young Geniuses: Innovation Lab project is brilliant because we know our high schoolers have so much potential and so many brilliant, creative and valuable ideas about their world. This is the perfect opportunity for real-world applications of empathy-centered design, allowing students to investigate a need and create viable solutions AND it connects directly with their culture!”
Find more information about the SNIPES Young Geniuses: Innovation Lab program right here.
Source: Snipes / Snipes
Source: Snipes / Snipes
Source: Snipes / Snipes
Source: Snipes / Snipes
Source: Snipes / Snipes
