To Our Valued Supporters,
Today, I am proud to announce the kick-off of our annual end-of-year fundraising campaign: NEST-GEN: Empowering Innovation & Transformation.
This year’s campaign is all about the future. It’s about our 10-year strategic plan, which is our roadmap to:
- equipping a generation of youth with the confidence and power to build a more equitable world;
- creating greater economic prosperity for our alumni and their families;
- serving as a national model for effective workforce development;
- shifting the culture of employers to hire and promote professionals from underserved backgrounds; and
- building a strong financial foundation to sustain our long-term presence in our communities.
This vision is ambitious, but it’s within our reach. Your generosity helps us deliver on our mission: to provide our youth with the skills, resources, and network to launch wealth-building careers.
Together, we’ve already turned this mission into action with our new and improved ways of scaling our impact. Keep reading to meet the innovators behind these achievements.
A Future-Proof Program Model for Emerging Tech Leaders
We redesigned our program model to align with real industry opportunities, ensuring our youth members gain the skills, portfolios, and confidence to launch their careers. Jared, a member from Watsonville, organized his school’s very first Hack-a-Thon, inspired by his experience at the NEST:
“The moment I joined Digital NEST, I felt nothing but support. They played a role in shaping my confidence, skills, and direction, lessons I’ll carry with me as I start my internship this fall. Thank you for everything.”
A New Brand, by NEST Youth, for NEST Youth
In July, we hosted a youth-powered Brand-A-Thon, where our members had six hours to reimagine the Digital NEST brand. The winning design, now our official look, came from a team led by Seneca, a bizzNEST intern in Modesto.
“We designed a futuristic tech aesthetic that preserves the cultural influences that shape Digital NEST. Seeing the rebrand come to life with our ideas shows that our voices and contributions matter.”
A Groundbreaking Partnership with Adobe
Our youth-powered creative agency, bizzNEST, teamed up with Adobe to create training videos that help nonprofits use Adobe tools in their daily work. For Julia, a bizzNEST intern in Salinas, the experience was transformational.
“It taught me a lot about how to carry myself and how to answer product questions in a business setting. My perspective completely changed about how far I can go in my career path.”
An AI-Powered Museum Exhibit, Built by bizzNEST
The Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery engaged bizzNEST to create an interactive exhibit that transforms children’s art into animated characters. Our interns built a custom, high-tech solution using AI and machine learning, a project that paved the way for Ali, a bizzNEST intern at our Watsonville center, to launch his career.
“This project changed my life. I shared our progress on LinkedIn, and that post led to a full-time job as a product engineer at a fintech company. Digital NEST wants to change lives, and I’m proof that it’s happening!”
Donating to our NEST-GEN campaign means funding this exploration, innovation, and professional attainment. You’re part of this community, working with us toward a more equitable future.
DONATE TODAY!
