A tech center for the George Floyd Square neighborhoods? Community, tech leaders say it's time

For about a year, community and business leaders have been working together to build a community tech center in the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis, a hub that will serve youths living in neighborhoods that surround George Floyd Square at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

The tech hub is expected to open in October, providing kids in the area with training and connections to attain a career in technology. It will include computers, a gaming area, virtual and augmented reality technology, a music studio and makers space.

Smart North, a Twin Cities nonprofit founded by tech entrepreneurs and business owners following Floyd's murder to increase digital literacy and equity in communities of color across Minnesota, conceived this hub idea.

The group is building a similar tech hub in Deer River near Leech Lake Reservation that will support Indigenous families.

Entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, technologists and members of the business community got a sneak peak of the tech hub Saturday as part of Twin Cities Startup Week, an annual weeklong series of events geared to help early-stage businesses grow.

"This tech hub is really a space for kids to be able to learn how to envision a different future for themselves in a psychologically safe space and then have access to the tools and access to the mentorships," said Will Preble, a co-founder and board member of Smart North and chief executive of Aeterna Media, during a panel discussion that preceded the tour of the tech hub.

Preble added that, with the help of corporate and civic partners, the goal is for kids to actually have a pathway for using those skills "in the real world."

Panelists said they hope the hub puts south Minneapolis youth on a path toward a six-figure salary.

The hub is designed for people ages 12 to 24, said Tayo Daniel, also co-founder of Smart North and Aeterna Media.

Smart North plans to mobilize those youths into tech support roles that help the elderly and small-business owners in the George Floyd Square neighborhoods. They will also learn how to create and possibly sell their own nonfungible tokens, or NFTs.

"We want people to learn that here," Daniel said.

Smart North is raising $500,000 to pay for equipment like 3-D printing machines, staff and food as part of a nutrition program for those who use the center, Daniel said.

Cybersecurity analysts and software developers are among top jobs in demand, and are overall top careers to have in the U.S., according to U.S. News. In the next 10 years, a projected 47,100 cyber analysts jobs and 410,000 software positions will be created. Those careers come with median annual salaries of $104,000 and $110,000, respectively.

"Cybersecurity is an industry that is evolving at an exponential rate, and unfortunately, the influx of talent is struggling to keep up," said Nick Schneider, chief executive of Eden Prairie-based cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf, a community partner of Smart North.

"As companies like Arctic Wolf continue to invest in talent hubs beyond the Silicon Valley like Minneapolis, the talent pool will only grow, as candidates recognize the opportunity to stand out and join a high-growth community," Schneider said.

In Minnesota, software developers and cyber analysts are the leading tech occupations. However, only 5% of the state's tech workforce consists of people who identify as Black or Hispanic, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association.

"The value of investing in untapped talent markets is immeasurable. Not only does it open the door to solving a critical talent shortage, but we are democratizing the opportunities of high-tech jobs for regions that may have been previously overlooked," Schneider said.

Smart North leveraged input from neighborhood youth to design a blueprint for the tech hub, Daniel said. Last year, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioner Alicia Smith, also executive director of the Corcoran Neighborhood Organization in south Minneapolis, held listening sessions with youth living in proximity of Sabathani Community Center.

Organizers hope the hub will also be a safe haven for a younger generation struggling with trauma over Floyd's murder by a now-convicted Minneapolis police officer, the destruction of their neighborhoods during riots that ensued after Floyd's death, and the disruption of their education due to a global pandemic.

"We have to open the door," Smith said. "Our responsibility is to open the door and welcome them in."