$8.2 Million Grant to Expand AR/VR Workforce Programming for 5,000 Students in Tulsa

TOUCH, Tulsans Operating in Unity Creating Hope, has received an $8.2 million dollar grant. With the help of local companies, this funding aims to create Extended Reality (XR) technology. This will give students the opportunity to learn new skills that would prepare them for jobs in the future.

TOUCH and The Zone Academy: A Vision for Change

Founded in 2007 by Kujanga Jackson, TOUCH is an organization focused on providing educational support in underserved areas of Tulsa.

"The reality was there was nowhere for students to be, there were no afterschool programs, or activities during out of school time hours and so when that happened I thought we just needed to provide a safe space, if we can provide a safe place for kids to be and then also do something positive to help them academically, I knew we may have the ability to transform and change somebody's life,” Jackson said.

What began as a program for seven students, has now grown to help thousands of young people across Tulsa. 

A Commitment to Workforce Development

With the $8.2 million grant, TOUCH plans to expand its AR/VR programming to create Oklahoma's first XR (extended reality) learning center, which will use augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality technologies. The center will give students hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools, preparing them for careers in these growing fields.

Jackson thinks this is not only about expanding educational opportunities but also creating a pipeline from education to employment in the tech industry.

“We want to make sure we are infusing into them the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow because the jobs of today may be vastly different than the jobs of tomorrow, and so they program help cultivate that atmosphere,” Jackson said.

To make this happen, Jackson is partnering with local companies like Partner Tulsa.

“It's not easy to receive a grant of this magnitude or this impact,” Garry Clark, CEO of Partner Tulsa, said. “A lot of nonprofit organizations are scraping and clawing to try to get access to capital like this. I think this is an amazing opportunity and that just means that TOUCH has done amazing work for many years and their impact shines through. We should really wrap our arms around TOUCH and making sure we support everything that can have an impact on our youth here in Tulsa but also globally. I think it's amazing and our leaders will realize the impact that's not just tied to talent and workforce but some of the youth in the program will become amazing entrepreneurs that will come up with new creative ideas that'll make life better for us here in Tulsa, but the globe."

Expanding The Impact

In collaboration with more local businesses and organizations, TOUCH will engage with companies to learn about the types of jobs they are seeking to fill and the skills they require from potential employees. Through these partnerships, TOUCH will be able to offer its programming to more students.

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