School’s out, Pittsburgh City of Learning is in

School may have ended, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Thanks to an unprecedented citywide collaboration known as Pittsburgh City of Learning, more than 50 local organizations are teaming up to ensure that Pittsburgh kids have fun and educational ways to spend their summer days.

“We’re trying to turn the entire city into one big campus for learning,” says Ryan Coon, program officer at The Sprout Fund, the anchor organization for Pittsburgh City of Learning.

Sprout’s task with this new initiative was no easy one. Months were spent finding and training partners in organizations citywide. All of these organizations have one thing in common: they offer quality summer learning programs for Pittsburgh kids ages 10 and up.

Sprout’s final step was putting information about all of these educational programs in one central location–a robust web directory organized into searchable disciplines like coding and gaming, community action, sports and wellness, work and career and more.

With the Pittsburgh City of Learning website now up and running, Pittsburgh kids can register for free here and begin searching an extensive catalogue of learning opportunities available to them in the city this summer.

A quick browse of the directory reveals educational programs that run the gamut of kids’ interests. From conservation projects in local parks and a free mindfulness workshop at the Homewood Carnegie Library, to a free filmmaking camp with Pittsburgh Filmmakers and a free maker workshop at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, the Pittsburgh City of Learning site already has nearly 150 educational programs listed—and that number continues to rise. Some activities are held exclusively online, while others challenge youth to get out and connect with their peers. Many are free.

The site also provides registration and pricing information for each program. And when youth successfully complete an activity through Pittsburgh City of Learning, they earn a digital badge to celebrate their accomplishment.

Pittsburgh City of Learning is part of a larger national campaign that launched in Chicago in 2013. The initiative is based on the concept of “connected learning,” which merges the three spheres of life that matter most to young people—their personal interests, their peer culture and their academic/economic empowerment—into a single experience.

Pittsburgh City of Learning activities will be ongoing throughout the summer, a particularly important time for kids to learn and grow. “The summer slide is real,” says Coon. “It’s important for everyone to participate in some form of summer learning, and City of Learning gives youth more opportunities to explore their interests, try new things, experiment with new ideas and develop expertise in the things they care about.”

For a list of all participating programs and to register, visit here.

Featured photo: Pittsburgh City of Learning, Photo courtesy of The Sprout Fund