In 2007, several enterprising Geek Squad Agents piloted programs in the Midwest to teach high school students how to build their own computers. During the pilot, a female Agent took a look at the local technical education market and realized none of the programs were designed for young women. She decided to change this, and in the summer of 2007, our weekend PC builds in Chicago were replaced with a week-long technology camp for girls. The first Geek Squad Summer Academy was born.
Seeing the excitement in the eyes of our newly dubbed "Junior Agents," we realized we were onto something big. The Geek Squad Academy spread to new markets, and we expanded the camps to include both young women and men (ages 10 to 18). Partnering with various non-profits and youth organizations, GSA has now brought camps to over 100 cities and military bases, and impacted tens of thousands of Junior Agents across the U.S. and in Canada.
Today, our program continues to expand. From our humble beginnings in PC repair and Internet basics, we now offer a year-round curriculum with topics such as robotics and circuitry, digital music, basic programming and Web design.
Built upon the strengths and diverse talents of our Geek Squad Agents and Best Buy Blue Shirts, we bring a level of fun and excitement that is rarely seen in a typical summer camp. We've shown young people they have a future in technology (something many of them never thought possible), watched communities come together and seen new friendships formed that have stood the test of time.
As we look towards the future of Geek Squad Academy, the reason we do this hasn't changed. We hope to enrich the lives of students who will one day run the technical infrastructure that powers the world. We love opening young eyes to the possibilities of technology, and we love starting them on a path to achieve their goals.