October 2023 News & Updates
BBJ Spotlights TPZ-Converse Partnership
The Possible Zone (TPZ) and Converse have been collaborating to bring the worlds of creativity, product and design development, and business planning to Boston high schoolers since 2020. This summer, as noted in the article below, the partners offered two STEAM Deep Dives for dozens of area high schoolers. The Boston Business Journal published an article about how this partnership creates valuable learning experiences and career pathways exploration for TPZ students, as well as meaningful engagement for TPZ and Converse employees. You can view a slideshow of images online that were captured during the reporter’s visit to TPZ’s Innovation Center.
Recent (Wonderful) Programming Highlights
High school students from Boston Public Schools designed and fabricated multimodal exhibitions informed by Universal Design principles and clients with different accessibility considerations during TPZ’s April vacation-week Deep Dive. Students engaged with soundboard recording and sound engineering; multilingual instruction; tactile materials (for sensory learners); CNC machining; laser cutting; 3D printing; Braille; Electronics; and more. This experience was a partnership between The Possible Zone and the University of Colorado’s Build a Better Book project.
View video highlights of this April Deep Dive.
Recent (Wonderful) Programming Highlights
This past summer, every department at The Possible Zone (TPZ) joined forces to ensure that the young people who were investing their talents and time in our program were treated to a transformative experience.
Our Discover and Incubate classes—the first two courses in our Eship program–empowered students to nurture their entrepreneurial spirit and further their prototyping skills. They explored their communities and passions, delving into untapped problem spaces and drawing inspiration from seasoned entrepreneurs, internally and externally. And in the case of Incubate, they developed their prototyping skills which were showcased during a successful Marketplace at the Innovation Center.
We ran our second summer of Deep Dive programming with corporate partner Converse! Our students immersed themselves in the Converse product-design process, with their creativity on full display as they crafted custom sneakers and apparel around specific themes and technical specifications, in addition to participating in extracurricular sessions about the business and marketing processes that support their creative design efforts. It was amazing to see our spaces abuzz with students making their apparel and sneakers, eagerly showing the designs and seeking feedback for continuous improvement from the TPZ team and the Converse volunteers.
Fashion Forward saw our students exploring the mesmerizing realm of “Textiles + Tech.” With Oye Ajewole’s expert guidance in e-textiles, they ventured into wearables, electronics, and design thinking, culminating in the creation of unique tech-augmented products. Concurrently, the Research & Evaluation team kicked off our gamification efforts by starting a process portfolio that students used to tag the competencies they’re working on “in-vivo!”
In our expanded College/Career Exploration offerings this summer, teens explored a roadmap to the world beyond high school. With a combination of meetings, field trips, guest speakers, and the pathways teams’ steady guidance, our students explored fields like IT, biotech, and nursing. Young people informed their future-visioning by visiting colleges, learning about different careers, and bolstering their professional profiles with robust job preparation and college applications.
Deep appreciation is extended to our dedicated Educators, STEAM Team, and the Operations and Events staff for steering our summer programming; our friends at Converse for their continued, meaningful partnership and commitment to our shared vision; and all the students, staff, and volunteers who explored their passions and shared their talent this summer.
TPZ Welcomes Policymakers to the Innovation Center!
The Possible Zone (TPZ) team was happy to welcome U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey to the Innovation Center last month. His visit was an ideal opportunity for the Senator to share his priorities and goals, and for the TPZ team to share more about our program and the inspiring students whom we serve. We look forward to future visits from the Senator!
Pictured from left to right are Mark Levin, Working Chair; Yasenia Dudley, Vice President of Education, Curriculum & Instruction; Philip Johnston, TPZ Consultant; Becky Levin, Executive Director; Senator Markey; and Johny Douyon, Recruitment Associate and TPZ Alum.
The TPZ team was happy to also welcome Patrick Tutwiler, Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, when he visited the Innovation Center in August to share his own professional journey with students, as the last guest in the Summer Pathways Career Speaker Series. “Do what brings you joy and gives you purpose,” the Secretary advised TPZ students. He reflected on finding inspiration to teach after reading Ghetto Schooling: A Political Economy of Urban Educational Reform, by Jean Anyon, in which he saw a connection to his personal experiences.
During his visit, Secretary Tutwiler had a brief tour of the Innovation Center, including a visit to the FabLab where students were sewing bags and preparing to create electronic textiles as part of the two-week Tech+Textiles Fashion Forward Deep Dive. Escorting him on his tour were (pictured from let to right) Yasenia Dudley, VP of Education, Curriculum, & Instruction; Raven Tukes, VP of Partnerships; and Cynthia Harmon, an educator and a founding member of the TPZ Board of Directors.
ALUMNI CORNER: Speed Resource & Networking Event 11/15
The Possible Zone will welcome TPZ alumni to a Speed Resource & Networking Event on Wednesday, November 15th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. TPZ staff will be on hand to provide resume reviews, give feedback on alumni pitches, and to explore career options. Alumni will also have the opportunity to network with one another (and tour the Innovation Center). Refreshments will be provided. Please reserve your spot by Monday, November 13th, and come with a draft resume in hand.
Join the TPZ Team
TPZ is growing and looking for new staff to join our team! We are currently hiring for a number of key roles, including
EDUCATOR ADVISOR
TALENT MANAGER
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, TPZ VENTURES
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR
FOUNDING ASSOCIATE, TPZ VENTURES