A Transformative Technology Bootcamp for System-Impacted Youth
COMPTON, CA, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — TouchUp Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the digital divide, has announced Compton Tech Week 2026, a free, six-day Spring Break technology bootcamp. The event will take place from April 20 to 25, 2026, at the Douglas Dollarhide Community Center in Compton, California. This initiative will serve 150 youth, ages 16 to 27, from Compton and surrounding South Los Angeles communities, with a specific focus on foster youth, probation-involved young people, and continuation school students.
Compton Tech Week 2026 aims to bridge the gap between underserved youth and the technology industry by delivering hands-on, industry-connected education. Participants will rotate through immersive classes in coding, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), game design, digital media, robotics, and more. The program is free and designed to provide real career exposure to young people who might otherwise lack access to such opportunities.
“Compton Tech Week exists because talent is evenly distributed — but opportunity is not,” said Caryn Brandon, CEO & Founder of TouchUp Inc. “Every young person who walks through those doors has been told in a hundred different ways that the tech industry wasn’t built for them. We are here to prove that wrong, one cohort at a time. When a foster youth from Compton sits across from a Disney AI engineer, or a probation-involved young man builds his first app and realizes he can sell it — that is not just a program moment, that is a life moment. TouchUp Inc. has maintained a zero-recidivism rate because we don’t just teach technology; we restore possibility. That is the work, and we will not stop until every young person in South Los Angeles knows their zip code is not their destiny.”
Brandon founded TouchUp Inc. in 2017 after her oldest son’s incarceration revealed to her how easily the system obscures the talent and potential of young people — and how urgently someone needed to call it forward. Since its inception, TouchUp Inc. has served over 1,500 youth while maintaining an unprecedented zero recidivism rate among its program alumni.
Throughout the week, participants will engage with industry professionals through a daily Breakfast Speaker Series, afternoon seminars, and field trips to major tech and entertainment campuses, including Riot Games and Disney/Pixar studios. The curriculum features specialized sessions such as Drone Technology with DeShawn Edwards; Digital Forensics with Misha DeLarkin from Flex Jobs; an Augmented Reality seminar with Snapchat; an AI in Animation session with Disney AI’s Emil Guareno; and an Entertainment Meets Technology conversation with William Morris Endeavor.
The event culminates on Saturday, April 25, with a Hackathon Championship where teams will pitch original tech solutions to a panel of judges. This will be followed by an Awards Luncheon, a certificate ceremony, and a YWCA Community Resource Fair, open to the public, that brings wraparound community services directly to families in Los Angeles County.
Compton Tech Week 2026 is made possible through significant partnerships with industry leaders and local government, including Snapchat, Disney, William Morris Endeavor, Riot Games, City National Bank, YWCA Greater Los Angeles, Hacker Fund, the City of Compton, Mayor Emma Sharif, the LA County Supervisor’s Office, Compton Unified School District, Maker’s Hub, the Los Angeles Department of Probation, and the Los Angeles Department of Youth Development. These collaborations transform the program from a local initiative into a robust industry pipeline, offering direct access to professionals and institutions shaping the future of technology and entertainment.
About TouchUp Inc. – Founded in 2017, TouchUp Inc. is a nonprofit organization committed to providing underserved youth in South Los Angeles with immersive, career-connected technology education. By focusing on foster youth and probation-involved young people, TouchUp Inc. aims to eliminate systemic barriers, create pathways to economic opportunity, and demonstrate that opportunity is the most powerful intervention for achieving a zero-recidivism rate.
For more information about Compton Tech Week 2026, or to learn how to support TouchUp Inc.’s mission, please visit https://touchuptech.org/.
For story opportunities, please contact Charisse Browner at (323) 424-0423 or via email: Crbrowner@gmail.com.
# # #
Charisse Browner
TouchUp Inc.
+1 323-424-0423
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
