Urban Arts

Attention NYC High Schools, STEM teachers, and parents! Help your gamer students apply early for Urban Arts' fun, rigorous, and free after school game design and CS program, where they create their own video game. Students learn the programming language C# to code their own video games with Unity 3D and create their own art, music/SFX and narratives for their games. Then, they'll be eligible to level-up to advanced programs at Urban Arts and receive college access support. Last year alone, we helped our students earn over $7 million in college scholarships. WHEN: October - June, after school or on Saturdays WHERE: At our learning lab near Union Square, or virtually on Discord WHO: Rising 9th, 10th and 11th graders HOW: Our application process is simple and easy: Students join a brief online info session, then fill out our early application with a parent/guardian. If you believe your students would love to hear about this program, we may be able to schedule a one-hour Game Design Masterclass at your school, where students can learn about our program and have a fun, hands-on game design experience. This offer is based on availability, and we’d require at least 25 students in attendance. Reach out to sia@urbanarts.org with inquiries. Learn more & sign up: https://lnkd.in/eDACPny7

The first GSA Speedrun Summit is less than one month out! September 27-29, 12 streamers will be raising money for Urban Arts. Want to go? You can still buy tickets at the link below. Join hundreds of other attendees and meet and hang out with speedrunners from all over the world at Xanadu Games! Can't make it? You can watch the events unfold live on Twitch: https://lnkd.in/eaVufEVy If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please email: philanthropy@urbanarts.org. Tickets: https://lnkd.in/ear5-ic5 Trailer: https://lnkd.in/e-XHHgWH

Urban Arts Summer Camp was a hit! For the last six weeks, 100+ students learned coding, Unity engine, and other digital tools to write, make music and art, and create games. Meet two of our game makers, Meisha and Andre! “My name is Meisha and my game is The Cookie. I did a lot of the music and the sound effects.” Have you done music before? “No. I learned BandLab” “My name is Andre. I did the art for the game The Cookie.” Were you an artist before you came here? “A little bit. I wasn't like a professional artist. I just like to draw in my room.” Who came up with the evil grandpa? Meisha: “I came up with it being a horror game and Andre and Kyle came up with it being a grandpa.” PLAY SOME SUMMER CAMP GAMES! https://lnkd.in/e4UCM59U

As the new school year approaches, Urban Arts is excited to help our partner schools get student-ready! Our incredible partner, Paramount, stepped up to lend a helping hand, supporting the preparation efforts at Facing History, which is getting ready to welcome 6th-12th graders back to the classroom. Thank you SO much to our amazing Paramount volunteers and to the dedicated team at Facing History for your commitment to creating a welcoming environment for students. We're excited for all the learning and creativity that this school year will bring! Madlyn Del Monte Tyler Butler J. Alejandro Alvarez Michael Jones

Thank you Unity for having us! These office visits are meant to give our students and alum a look into top companies and how they operate, hopefully opening doors and inspiring them. Exposure to the world of work can help students develop critical skills and increase their employability. It can also enrich their learning experience. We cannot thank the Unity team enough for making this happen. Special thanks to Liyah Teller for organizing this memorable day and all the volunteers who made this trip possible!

This spring, Urban Arts kicked off our new U.S. Department of Education program, Creative Coders, with a special and unique opportunity from Minecraft Education for our NYC Public Schools teachers: piloting Minecraft's GameCode! Teachers from all five boroughs participated in the spring pilot in NYC, culminating in a showcase of student-made games in Minecraft! Check out this new video from Minecraft featuring insights from Amy Patterson, PhD, Matthew Taylor, Kerry McGarvey, and Eric Scattaretico.    GameCode is now released and will be part of our Creative Coders pathways for middle schools! Creative Coders will be adapting Minecraft Education and Urban Arts’ CS resources to develop a full-semester CS curriculum for middle schools, combining unplugged, arts-based and game design activities with meaningful game-based learning for CS in student-favorite Minecraft. Schools will also receive professional learning and ongoing support. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to stay updated as Creative Coders rolls out nationwide over the next four years! https://lnkd.in/gMgHP_3R

Last day for a free and easy way to support Urban Arts! 🗳 Vote to get breakthrough educational initiatives and student voice on stage at SXSW 2025. It takes one minute ⏱! Last day! PLEASE SHARE! VOTE ⬆️ Vote UP arrow top right corner! https://lnkd.in/e3g_Ge6f https://lnkd.in/ez7ki4HU (Create a SXSW account—quick, easy, free. Do not wait! Voting closes today!) PLEASE SHARE 🎁 WITH YOUR NETWORK Remember to include the panel link & expressly ask for an upvote. Thank you! #curriculumdevelopment #educationresearch #EducationInnovation #supportteachers #SXSWEDU #deeplearning #publicschoolteacher #studentvoice #gamesinclass #gamedesign #gamergirl #gamer #gameforgood

Urban Arts is thrilled to welcome Elsie Pan, CFA, FRM, CAMS, CGSS to the Board of Directors. Starting her career in China, Elsie worked with US and European business leaders to solve market entry and localization problems so clients could gain a competitive position in a new market. Since then, from a base in the US, she has served firms of all sizes in addressing market-based/regulatory changes and complex enforcement remediation actions. As a principal (non-CPA partner) at PwC US, Elsie uses her problem solving capacity to help her clients take on complex challenges in fast-evolving areas such as anti-money laundering, sanctions, enterprise risk management and US market entry. She leads teams of former industry executives and former regulators, technologists, statisticians and data scientists to deliver sustained outcomes to clients. She also serves the role of Asian Financial Services Consulting Leader and China Business Network leader in PwC US delivering human/culture-centered solutions allowing non-US headquartered companies to compete more effectively in the US market. Welcome, Elsie! A new game changer on board!

REMINDER: Please support Urban Arts by voting for our two SXSW panels! Help us spread our mission and hear firsthand from our staff, alumni (now college students in diverse STEM fields!), public school teachers, and friends in tech and gaming. The deadline to vote is August 18! SXSW EDU is a vibrant event that brings together the brightest minds in education to tackle complex issues and drive impact for learners everywhere. Urban Arts has two dynamic panels up for inclusion! Public voting is 30% of our consideration. Please help Urban Arts share our material at this national conference by voting for both of our panels. It's free, easy, and fast to vote. Here's how to amplify our submissions in 3 easy steps. Let's get on that stage! PART 1: MAKE AN ACCOUNT What do I need to do to vote in PanelPicker? All you need to do is create a SXSW account which is quick, easy and free. Your sign-up information remains confidential. Do not wait! Voting closes in 2 weeks. Make an account: https://lnkd.in/gsBSE2k PART 2: VOTE Here is our unique URL to vote on. Vote UP. Panel one: https://lnkd.in/e3g_Ge6f Panel two: https://lnkd.in/ez7ki4HU How do I upvote? In the top right corner of each page, choose the up arrow. Add comments if you wish, celebrating the idea or adding thoughtful context. PART 3: SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORK Art options to share below. Remember to include the panel link and expressly ask for an upvote. Thank you so much!

Last week, Michael Launder from Nickelodeon provided a virtual workshop to Urban Arts students and alumni on CG Animation. Michael is the CG & Visual Effects artist behind Transformers Earth Spark, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, & the Divergent Series. It was awesome! Thank you so much Michael, Nickelodeon, and Paramount for making this happen! These workshops hosted by our partners are crucial to keeping our students up-to-date on industry skills and insights. Thank you Tyler Butler Madlyn Del Monte Carson Smith Darian Gonzalez-K. for your support!