Changing the world through technology: Oscar Menjivar at TEDxEmbryRiddle
Inner-city boys in Los Angeles are changing the world through technology by identifying local community problems and developing technological solutions, exemplified by a 15-year-old creating an algorithm-based iPhone app for local nonprofits. The speaker argues that this overlooked talent pool possesses unique insight into community needs and deserves investment and mentorship. Ultimately, the goal is to build confidence and partnerships to transform local challenges into technological solutions for the future.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker is an individual who initially intended to discuss inner-city kids selling the tech world on fire, then shifted focus to how they are changing the world through technology.
- Location/Subject Context: South Central Los Angeles, specifically referencing the time period of **1992** after the riots.
- Core problem areas mentioned: inner-city youth having two choices—victimization on the streets or hustling to survive.
- Current statistics: **55%** of young men in the inner city are dropping out of high school; **85%** of those dropouts end up unemployed or incarcerated.
## Theses & Positions
- Inner-city boys possess untapped, valuable talent and unique insights crucial for solving the world's most complex problems.
- Survival in inner-city streets develops necessary skills like negotiation and creativity due to limited resources.
- The best way to solve real-world problems is by looking at the communities where the problems exist, utilizing the local residents' inherent knowledge.
- Changing a community requires more than just a program; it demands building confidence and sustained external investment.
- The program must provide access, particularly to opportunities like visits to Silicon Valley and large tech companies.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Inner-city boys:** Youth from inner-city communities developing technology entrepreneurship.
- **Hustle:** The necessity of developing survival skills when facing economic hardship on the streets.
- **Technology Entrepreneur:** A young person who identifies a community problem and uses technology to develop a solution.
- **Community Service Hours:** A common requirement forcing students to complete non-tech related tasks, which the speaker contrasted with technical problem-solving.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Lacrosse as a vehicle:** Used by the speaker's mentor to pull him from skipping school and into a world exposed to different socio-economic perspectives.
- **Program Structure (Urban Tech):**
1. Recruitment: Targeting students who are "hungry and have a passion to change your community through technology," rather than just having the best grades.
2. Challenge Setting: Students must answer the question, *"What is one problem that your community has that you can change through technology?"*
3. Core Skill Development: Requiring commitment and determination to complete a project over three weeks.
4. Mentorship/Support: Providing coaches and emotional support to overcome initial feelings of difficulty or quitting.
- **Specific Problem Solving Examples:**
- **STEM Awareness:** Developing a platform to inform the community about STEM and business careers.
- **Nonprofit Matching:** Creating an iPhone app with an algorithm to match student interests with suitable local nonprofits.
- **Safe Running Routes:** Developing an online platform to map and share safe areas for physical activity within the neighborhood.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **1992:** Context of South Central Los Angeles after the riots.
- **Early Career:** Speaker skipped school, found a mentor who steered him toward lacrosse.
- **Education:** Graduated with a Computer Information System degree, followed by a Master's in Educational Technology.
- **Consulting Work:** Worked building and advising technology for local schools around Los Angeles.
- **Speaking Event:** Gave a presentation to a class of **60** students five years ago, noting low existing knowledge of websites.
- **Program Launch:** Friends and the speaker began the "Urban Tech" program.
- **Recent Success Stories:** Highlighted a 15-year-old creating an iPhone app and a 16-year-old pitching a safe routes platform to investors.
- **Metrics:** The program boasts a **100% retention rate** and **100%** of its students entering four-year schools.
- **Academic Change:** One student went from a **2.1 GPA** to a **3.3 GPA** due to focus and determination for Google.
## Named Entities
- **South Central Los Angeles:** The geographic area of focus.
- **Stanford:** University mentioned as a role model student's background.
- **Google:** Tech company visited during a program trip.
## Numbers & Data
- Year of initial setting: **1992**.
- Demographic figures for dropouts: **55%** dropping out of high school.
- Post-dropout outcome: **85%** unemployed or incarcerated.
- Initial class size observed: **60** students.
- Successful program metrics: **100%** retention rate; **100%** of kids going to four-year schools.
- GPA change: From **2.1** to **3.3**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Laxcross/Lacrosse:** Used by mentor to open new worlds, allowing interaction with peers from different socio-economic backgrounds.
- **The First Tech Gap:** Observing that only **five** of the **60** students knew what a website was, and *none* knew how to build one.
- **The Algorithm App:** A student developing an iPhone app that matches interests with local nonprofits, achieved after eight weeks.
- **The Safe Routes Platform:** A student developing an online platform to map safe areas for running in the neighborhood.
- **The Janitor Interview:** A participant using the opportunity during a Google tour to ask the executive to hire him, even if only for janitorial work.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **iPhone app:** Developed by a student using an algorithm to connect interests with nonprofits.
- **Online platform:** Developed by a student to map safe running routes for the community.
- **Technology:** General field of study, leading to entrepreneurship.
## References Cited
- None explicitly cited beyond the general context of local communities.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Street survival vs. School:** The forced choice between becoming a victim on the streets or hustling to survive.
- **Program Focus:** Contrast between formal schooling (magnet typing class) and self-directed, passion-driven learning through tech.
- **Funding Gap:** Acknowledging that simply having a program is insufficient; external "time and money" investment is necessary.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker initially struggled to articulate the value of story-telling or the program's impact; it was described as a feeling that needed to be defined.
- The difficulty of commitment: Some students found it *"too hard to sit down,"* suggesting perseverance is the primary struggle.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The core need is continued investment in inner-city talent.
- Action required from the audience: Providing mentors and coaches who can help kids think beyond the immediate confines of their own communities.
- The ultimate goal: To catalyze a movement of technology-driven change from low-income communities.
## Implications & Consequences
- The talent pool in inner cities represents a massive, untapped resource for solving global issues.
- Success stories (like the GPA increase or the job interview) illustrate the potential for internal change through external support.
- Society must build bridges to give these kids access to companies like Google and Stanford.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"let's tell them how inner-city boys are changing the world through technology."*
- *"either you become a victim to the streets or you hustle to survive."*
- *"he said look Oscar either I take you to the principal and you get suspended but I play lacrosse sticks in your hands and you learn how to play a sport that it's gonna work open new worlds for you."*
- *"if you stick to it if you practice you will get better."*
- *"I said how many of you guys know what a website is only five kids raise your hand and then I asked how many of you guys know how to put a website together or create a website nobody raised her hands"*
- *"that doesn't mean that you have to have the best grades that just means that you have to be hungry and have a passion to change your community through technology."*
- *"I don't need you here so January I need you here as a developer to help me change the world."*
- *"I believe that today the inner cities have the best talent that you can ever find technology."*
- *"I want you to stay with us and I promise you that if you stay with us you will be successful I promised you that if you stay with us we'll help you to get over those obstacles that you have."*