The founders of the organization known for empowering youth via game development, subject students to a berating and toxic culture when mentors and press are not present. They yell at students regularly and have called them stupid on numerous occasions. They also pits students against each other in a way that is toxic and not educational. 

As soon as students pursue success outside of , the program detracts support of their creative endeavors and has acted against some of them by threatening to sue them for working on projects outside of the classroom. The point of a non-profit organization is to SUPPORT students, and  does not own the intellectual property of any of their students.

Why sign this petition: We have contacted journalists from prominent game industry periodicals, and we need your help in convincing them that this is an issue worth covering. Your signature will help us gain momentum in our efforts to finally hold and accountable.

 Now they want endorsements from AAA game studios, and to start a program that ushers in even more unsuspecting students.

 The founders are charismatic but very manipulative, and positions as an influencer through carefully-crafted storytelling. does not teach tech, but rather gathers mentors from outside the program. staff, who are all volunteers, are the design and engineering teachers. They are not fit to be recognized and honored by a meritable institution. 

We need the founder of to step down immediately, and get out of the way of these students' success. They work hard and should not be benefitting from their success. should be held accountable for the way they treat students including speech, self-righteous rants and emotional manipulation. Any mentors that are aware of his behavior and do not report it or speak out about it should be held equally responsible for this toxic culture going forward. If you see something - say something.

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Update: As we get started circulating this petition, we’ve been met with some criticism and biased reactions. We need to set a few things straight: 

1. We are reporting the board of to the California Department of Education for bullying. (https://www.cde.ca.gov/  We have records of emails as evidence of his berating messages to students. If you sign this petition, we will keep you updated when we receive a response. 
2. This petition is not just created by the students, but is also backed by game industry professionals. However, that shouldn’t impact your decision on whether or not to take the issue seriously. We have been criticized based on the ideas that the students wrote the petition themselves. The students should be heard, and this experience has been telling evidence for age discrimination against young students. Their voice is important because if they are not benefitting from their time at, then has no basis for elevating PR. 
3. We have been successful at dissuading organizations from partnering with so far. We will not mention them for confidentiality.