The sounds of cheering and clapping fill the Verizon Innovative Learning Lab at Neil A. Armstrong Middle School, home to one of the school’s unique teams: esports. More than a dozen seventh and eighth graders have stayed after class to play video games. The coaches of the school’s esports team know the students are doing more than just gaming. “Kids are going to play video games at home anyway,” says Verizon Innovative Learning Lab Mentor April Fox. “But to get them into school and in an environment where we can really push communication skills, increase their confidence and get them to connect on a one-to-one basis, I think is the best benefit of having an esports program.” The after-school time spent analyzing gameplay and high-level hardware also translates into a greater interest in STEM. A couple of years ago, Fox saw that Verizon Innovative Learning HQ offers resources to organize a league that she figured out a way to make it happen. “Without the Verizon Innovative Learning Esports League, I wouldn’t have known where to begin,” says Fox. “They provided the support and structure, and the knowledge on how to start it, get it up and running and how to maintain it.” Verizon developed the league in partnership with Games for Change (G4C), a nonprofit with more than 20 years of experience combining games and education. G4C created a curriculum that integrates well-being and social-emotional learning into the program, connecting students’ passion or esports with academic and career paths. Verizon Innovative Learning is a key part of the company’s responsible business plan to help move the world forward for all. As part of the plan, Verizon has an ambitious goal of providing 10 million youth with digital skills training by 2030. Educators can access free lessons, professional development, and immersive learning experiences to help bring new ways of learning into the classroom by visiting Verizon Innovative Learning HQ. #VerizonInnovativeLearning #CitizenVerizon #Education #STEM #Technology #Gaming

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