Record-Breaking 10,000 Teens to Receive Tech Training at Geek Squad Academy Camps

Starting this month, Best Buy will host 60 two-day tech camps for youth from underserved communities across the U.S.

Young people from across the U.S. are about to learn essential tech skills as Best Buy’s flagship Geek Squad Academy summer camp season begins this month. More than 10,000 students age 11 to 18 are expected to attend 60 camps this year in the biggest Geek Squad Academy season ever.

“Youth from underrepresented communities face real challenges as job readiness resources and opportunities remain few and far between,” said Andrea Wood, head of Social Impact at Best Buy. “These two-day tech immersion camps will help thousands of students explore their passions and gain critical tech skills as they look ahead to their future studies and careers.”

With courses ranging from 3D design and coding to music and video production, students learn skills that lay the foundation for tech-reliant careers. This year’s camps feature two new courses: “Picture Perfect,” which teaches the fundamentals of photography and composition, and “Stop Motion,” which demonstrates how to use basic video editing to transform pictures into stop-motion videos.

The 60 Geek Squad Academy camps will be held this summer in these 48 cities, with an additional five cities to be announced at a later date:

• Boston, MA
• Bayamon, Puerto Rico
• Orlando FL
• New Orleans, LA
• Salt Lake City, UT
• DeSoto, TX
• Romeoville, IL
• Charlotte, NC
• Cincinnati, OH
• Los Angeles, CA
• Independence, MO
• Pembrook Pines, FL
• Homestead, PA
• Cleveland, OH
• San Antonio, TX
• St. Louis, MO
• Chicago, IL
• Raleigh, NC
• Camp Pendleton, CA
• Reno, NV
• Louisville, KY
• Rochester, NY
• Minneapolis, MN
• Washington D.C.
• Birmingham, AL
• Liverpool, NY
• Joplin, MO
• Dallas, TX
• Memphis, TN
• Phoenix, AZ
• Round Lake, IL
• Bronx, NY
• Cleveland, TN
• Hayward, CA
• Detroit, MI
• Richmond, VA
• Sacramento, CA
• Milwaukee, WI
• Jersey City, NJ
• Virginia Beach, VA
• Richfield, MN
• Bellevue, WA
• Leominster, MA
• Wakeman, OH
• Lakewood, CO
• Salem, VA
• Conyers, GA
• Houston, TX

Geek Squad Academy launched more than a decade ago, and since then some 50,000 teens have benefited from the free two-day camps. Led by Geek Squad Agents and conducted in partnership with local community organizations, the camps feature interactive learning aimed at sparking creativity and discovering new passions.

Best Buy actively acts on the belief that it has a responsibility to marshal its expertise, thousands of employees, local community partners and vast population of tech partners to come together to build a brighter future for young people. The company puts this commitment to work through programs including Geek Squad Academy, Best Buy Community Grants and the national network of 29 Best Buy Teen Tech Centers.

For a complete schedule of Geek Squad Academy dates, locations, enrollment information and more, visit https://academy.geeksquad.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190521005122/en/

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