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The singer – born William Adams – is responsible for setting up the i.am College Track in his old neighbourhood, Boyle Heights. The College Track is a non-profit educational centre which helps students from underserved communities achieve their dreams of a college education by providing them with a comprehensive learning programme and after school tutoring. At present, it is helping 120 high school students.
The Royal visit was a part of the information exchange between the i.am College Track and iDEA. iDEA, or Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, is an award scheme which aims to support more than one million young people between the ages of 16 and 25 in their endeavours to develop a digital business. Started by the Duke of York and Nominet Trust, iDEA encourages the development of digital skills and an entrepreneurial spirit.
The initiative was launched in March this year and has since then received the support of a number of entrepreneurs, including Lily Cole, Michael Acton Smith and Nick D’Aloisio. will.i.am, who serves on the Steering Board of iDEA, strongly supports the scheme, saying: “Today, digital skills incorporating computing, coding and marketing are a baseline requirement to succeed in almost every career path. Whether a young person aspires to be a fashion designer, a doctor, a solar engineer or a musician, digital and entrepreneurial skills are essential to success”.
This week @TheDukeOfYork joined our ambassador @iamwill at his #BOYLEheights college in LA to talk all things iDEA! pic.twitter.com/pZbtwDkC9z
— iDEA (@idea_award) May 2, 2014
In the duration of the visit, the students from the programme showed Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson the forms of project-based learning designed to teach computer graphics, robotics, and Mandarin Chinese. At the end of the tour, both will.i.am and the Duke addressed the students. The Prince spoke about the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills and related job opportunities, before inviting the students of i.am College Track to visit the UK and meet with the participants of iDEA, who attend Hackney Community College in London.
Photo credit: hwupetroleum via photopin cc]]>
wow, does anyone else find it significant that andrew is attending official functions with sarah ferguson?
or am i blowing this out of proportion?
I find it very interesting that the Duchess of York participated in this well-publicized event with her ex-husband. A portent of things to come?
There has been a great deal of speculation regarding the Yorks’ relationship and what the future might bring for them. There have been reports that the two still love each other and would like to remarry.
But there are two problems: First, Sarah got fed up with the treatment she received from Palace courtiers, some of whom seemed to have dedicated themselves to her destruction and banishment from the Royal Family. Second, she knows that Andrew represents a package deal, and she’s not keen to resume the kind of royal duties that received such ruthless coverage by the British tabloids. Remember?
And there’s another complication; that is, the Duke of Edinburgh. It’s no secret that he despises his ex-daughter-in-law, and is said to be baffled and infuriated by Andrew’s devotion and support of her. Some people think that any wedding would have to wait until the Philip goes to that “palace in the sky.”
But I’d like to make it clear that I don’t have any inside source to back all this up. Some of this is well-publicized conjecture, so we’ll see.