A Year of Going Bold
An introduction to the Bold Idea fiscal year 2017 annual report.
Dear Bold Idea Friends,
Bold Idea strives to be a forward-thinking organization that prepares students in the Dallas community for 21st century success — and the progress we have made in fiscal year 2017 is helping us reach that goal.
With cooperation from parents and principal Rachel Moon, Bold Idea piloted the ideaSpark and CS First programs at Rosemont School in Dallas ISD - our first school partnership. Bold Idea served 32 students across 24 weeks at the elementary school in north Oak Cliff.
Support from new partners Microsoft, Pivotal Labs and Alliance Data enabled us to greatly expand Demo Demo — giving students a larger stage and screen. Student teams presented 43 creative projects, including mobile apps and websites.
After six months of hard work, 8th graders Shelby and Meredith presented their website ‘Service Match’ to 500+ Microsoft employees. The website connects nonprofits to student groups in need of service projects, built entirely by the two young coders.
In January, we introduced a curriculum for our youngest students in grades 3 – 5. The CS First program is designed by Google to introduce core computer science concepts for students with varied interests, like sports, art and games. Coinciding with the program launch was our new partnership with the Wesley-Rankin Community Center in west Dallas, where Bold Idea served 16 Hispanic students meeting at the Center after school.
Together, We Create
In a world dependent on computing, Bold Idea is giving students real-world experience creating their bold ideas as a team through technology — supported by professional engineers and creatives.
Today, most kids are going online to play video games. They download apps and connect with friends on their mobile devices. Bold Idea students are creating their own games and apps, using problem solving skills, creativity and computer programming skills. Through a highly-crafted curriculum and dedicated mentors, we teach students to create rather than just consume technology, and turn their device time into valuable teaching time.
#GoBold
At this time last year, we challenged our students and community to Go Bold — our theme in 2017. Together, we stepped up to the challenge.
- Our students went bold. Teams of young coders created over 650 computing projects.
- Our volunteer mentors went bold. Students received 3,948 hours of mentoring total, from a team of 67 mentors.
- Our donors went bold. Generous corporations, foundations and individuals gave over $66,000 in monetary and in-kind gifts to Bold Idea.
Growing our organization to meet the needs of 21st century students requires tireless dedication, leadership, vision and significant investment. Thank you for joining us on this journey — and for supporting Bold Idea.
On behalf of the Bold Idea Board of Directors and staff, it is my honor to present our 2017 Annual Report.
With gratitude,
Robyn Brown
Co-Founder and CEO
