We Help At Risk Youth Get Ahead
Technik Competition helps at risk youth see possibilities for themselves by connecting them with alumni and volunteers in fields they want to explore
“Whenever [the team member] comes back from these races, he’s always talking about everybody that he’s met, how everybody has different strengths and they bring everything they do in their regular life into what they’re doing in racing.”
Technik Competition provides hands-on opportunities for mentees to learn and grow while interacting with a team
“Technik gives hands-on experience that is so lacking, and there’s so many different opportunities in the car world that are opened up as opportunities you can recognize through being around Technik.”
Technik Competition provides a safe learning environment for mentees to learn, fail, and grow
“When you gave me any sort of leadership position it was stressful but I knew I could make mistakes without the massive repercussions of being fired like if I were at work. It’s a safe environment for learning and teaching.”
Technik Competition helps mentees make personal connections with people who can help them advance their careers and creates an environment that lets those connections form into lifetime bonds
“I think a key part of this is it breaks down the social barriers that are there. It's allowed me to utilize the team in ways that I wouldn’t have if we were working on a paper project or a digital project where we didn’t have the gauntlet to go through together. I know if I have questions about money management or computer issues or human management issues or whatever, I know who to turn to.
The racetrack environment cultivates tenacity and the desire to keep going in the face of adversity
“Technik enabled me to say that I’m good enough to do whatever I set my mind to whether it be getting into Formula 1 or something else. It gave me the certain amount of confidence a kid needs to keep going at something when the odds are against them. I know a lot of kids who have given up on a lot of goals just because they don’t have that amount of self confidence. Being able to have that amount of drive is really important.”
Technik Competition enables team members to think about the possible trajectories they can take with their lives
“Before Technik, I wanted to be a mechanic. Now I’m in England going to college to study engineering. Before Technik, I wouldn’t have known how to get to this point or even that it was an option for me. If you told me five years ago that I would be studying engineering in England, I wouldn’t necessarily have believed you, but at the same time I would understand in a sense that is a direction I would want to take, but I would have had no idea how I could have gotten there.”