San Diego wins Nationwide Contest to become Next City of LRNG

3/17/16 – LRNG CEO Connie Yowell announced a major expansion of the LRNG Cities movement at SXSWedu. San Diego is one of eight winners of the national LRNG City Challenge and will receive funding support from the Fossil Foundation to begin networking learning opportunities throughout the community. The San Diego Fab Lab, a digital fabrication laboratory and educational space, has been selected to assist in coordinating local efforts as part of the national LRNG movement.

LRNG is a new, youth-centric movement focused on turning learning into a lifestyle. With LRNG, young people can pursue their passions, connect with peers and mentors, and access new paths to college and career. Specifically, LRNG is working to close the nation’s opportunity gap by reaching teens and young adults who are locked out of traditional paths to success. This effort will allow learners at all levels of engagement to gain certifications for their educational experiences, leading toward pathways to college and career preparation. LRNG enables cities to network their existing learning resources — like schools, libraries and community centers — and connect young people directly to in-person and online activities in their communities.􏰀

As part of this effort, LRNG recently announced a partnership with the White House on a new summer jobs program called the “Summer Opportunity Project.” LRNG is powered by Collective Shift, a new nonprofit supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and dedicated to redesigning social systems for the connected age.

“This initiative will allow all learners to earn credentials that acknowledge their achievements, whether they are gained inside or out of the traditional classroom.” says Executive Director of Fab Lab, Katie Rast.

San Diego joins a national movement that includes Chicago, Dallas, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., which have already worked as established LRNG Cities. Other LRNG City Challenge winners include San Diego, San Jose, and West Sacramento, CAa metro Columbus and Springfield, OHa Kansas City, MOa Rochester, NYa and Philadelphia, PA.

For more information about LRNG, visit www.about.lrng.org and follow @WeAreLRNG on Twitter. For more information about Fab Lab San Diego, visit www.fablabsd.org and follow @fablabsd on Twitter.