Mindera US STEM in Soccer Camp boosts young people’s tech skills in LA
Mindera US, Angel City FC, and LA RAP hosted a 5-day STEM camp for teenage girls and gender-expansive youth. Students designed stadium concepts and fan experiences to build confidence and tech career pathways beyond coding.
Would you know where to start designing a sports stadium? Neither did the students arriving at the recent STEM in Soccer Camp in Los Angeles, USA – the latest partnership between Mindera US, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and the Los Angeles City Department of Parks and Recreation (LA RAP). However, just five days later they were enthusiastically presenting their innovative projects for the stadiums of the future, developed using the latest technologies, to friends and family.
Partnering for good
As part of Mindera’s mission to give back to the community, for three years now the US team has been working closely with ACFC. Mindera provides the curriculum, instructors and helpers; ACFC puts forward the funding and helps coordinate the event; while local partner LA RAP puts out the call out to interested students. July’s STEM in Soccer Tech Camp was the latest initiative. It brought teenage girls and gender-expansive youth from around LA for a five-day technology workshop.
The goal was to give students hands-on experience working creatively with the latest technologies around a sports theme. Something they would struggle to do without our help. In many cases, this was their introduction to a career in tech, and provided valuable skills they can use in the future to help them open up career opportunities.
On the agenda
The intensive curriculum took students from researching cutting-edge stadium innovations on Day 1 and mapping out their functions using Canva, to stepping into the role of arena architects to redesign venues using Floorplanner on Day 2. Choosing a key element from their blueprints, such as an ergonomic VIP seat or high-tech sports workstation, Day 3 saw students build them in 3D using Spline.design.
Taking a step back from their designs, Day 4 brought tech into the real world, with students using Figma to plan a digital fan stadium experience. They then proudly showcased their projects using their laptops in a final fun-filled culmination day featuring food, music and amazing interactions between the students.
Huge potential
The incredible enthusiasm, effort and work of all the students involved showed their huge potential, and the inspiration technology can ignite. One attendee shouted out the program, saying it was a great way to bring her ideas to life and thanked the team. "I would never have imagined joining this program, so to learn real life stuff that I could use in my everyday life has really helped a lot," she said.
Congratulating the graduating class, to many of whom STEM was a completely new concept, one of ACFC’s representatives said: “Well done all of you for accepting the challenge, for continuing to work, and I hope you take that with you wherever you go.” She also expressed her gratitude to Mindera, saying: “Thank you so much to Mindera and all of their team who poured so much into this project and this program.”
Beyond coding
Commenting on the initiative, Mindera US Managing Director Katherine Parkinson said: “For Mindera US, being involved in this program is about so much more than just teaching code. We believe that soccer is more than a game; it is a pathway to confidence, leadership, and curiosity.”
We thank our partners ACFC and LA RAP for helping make STEM in Soccer Camp such a wonderful and successful event. And our students for their energy, commitment and making the most of the opportunity provided.