WHAT IS DING 

DING is a Non-Profit located in Albuquerque New Mexico.

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One of the most significant failures of the United States education system is opportunity Inequality. The quality of education can vary greatly, given the wealth of a school district, which often correlates to the socioeconomic status of the students. This results in unequal opportunities, implying that some youth could lack opportunity at all. DING focuses on STEM/STEAM-related subjects and aims to fill the gaps of, “lack of opportunities for children. ” We pair the child/mentee with a mentor who guides and focuses on the child's individual needs. 

 

Although both share knowledge, a mentor can do it in a way that is two-directional. A teacher-student relationship is usually one-directional, they teach and students take notes. A mentor is not a temporary position. A mentor can assess knowledge through discussion, feedback, and observation, not through a standardized test. 

 

It is common for young minds, to not know what path they want to take and at DING they can explore multiple paths to be able to choose what it is they do and don’t like. When you’re young it’s important to move directionally. Meaning you may like to code but does that mean you want to make robots or be a data analyst? If you know you like to talk to people does that you want to be in sales or negotiate peace treaties? DING aims to expose youth to the possibility of a STEM-related future and push them in a direction so they can decide what routes they want to travel down. 

 

DING outsources its projects straight from the community. For example, a mentee at DING learned 3D modeling, 3D printing, and basic business strategies when he made a bookmark for a local non-profit, Global-Give-A-Book. Global-Give-A-Book gives books to children who need them the most in the community. The mentee was thrilled to see his creations given to those in his community. 

 

DING is not a replacement for standard education it is a filler between the gaps hoping to assist standard education where standard education falls short. Financial literacy, digital literacy, community engagement, and the list goes on.