Building Vermont’s Digital Future: Inside BRIC’s Model for Rural Innovation
BRIC (the Black River Innovation Campus) is an innovation hub based in Springfield, Vermont, dedicated to helping rural communities thrive in a rapidly changing digital economy. Through programs in entrepreneurship, workforce development, and STEAM education, BRIC creates pathways for learners and adults to build meaningful, future-ready skills.
Endless Foundation is proud to support BRIC in advancing their efforts to make digital innovation accessible, empowering, and rooted in the needs of rural communities. We sat down with Chris Maggiolo, BRIC’s Deputy Executive Director, to learn more about BRIC’s approach to building digital skills pathways in rural communities.
"In rural areas like ours, students don’t always think game design is something available to them. What I’ve realized is that it’s never about whether they’re capable—they absolutely are. The real question is whether they have access to the opportunity in the first place."
- Chris Maggiolo
Deputy Executive Director
For readers who may not be familiar with BRIC, can you share about your mission, vision and key programs?
Chris: BRIC is a 501(c)(3) based in Springfield, Vermont (a small town of about 9,000 people) and our mission is simple: activate rural communities through tech-based development. We want to build a Vermont where small communities thrive alongside technology and where students and adults alike feel empowered to participate in the new economy jobs. Our work falls into three main buckets.
The first is entrepreneurship. Our Actuator program helps early-stage founders validate their ideas, understand their customers, and get real feedback from experts. It’s a hands-on program that helps entrepreneurs make the right connections at the right time.
The next is workforce development. We offer Google Career Scholarships for courses in data analytics, UX/UI, and other digital skills. The focus here is about giving Vermonters practical, flexible pathways to economic mobility.
The last bucket is STEAM education. This encompasses everything from video game design, to LEGO robotics, to virtual reality and drone manufacturing. We support both educators and students and we’re especially focused on giving rural learners experiences that feel relevant, exciting, and accessible. Our SEED VT initiative, launched in partnership with Endless Access, is a huge part of this work.
What is the SEED VT initiative and how did it come about?
Chris: SEED VT has been years in the making. Back in 2020, when we were collaborating with Endless on video game development concepts, it became obvious that Vermont needed a stronger computer science education pipeline. With only about 80,000 K-12 students statewide and relatively few dedicated computer science (CS) teachers, we knew we needed a new model. SEED VT grew out of that realization and now operates across three tiers of engagement—K-12, professional development, and collegiate partnerships, all connected through digital literacy and the power of game design.
Can you tell us more about these three tiers?
Chris: Absolutely. At the K-12 level, our summer camps have become a cornerstone of SEED VT. This past year, we ran ten free camps that reached roughly 140 students, all anchored in game development and STEAM concepts. It’s been an incredible way to meet learners where they are, spark their curiosity, and build early confidence in CS skills. We’re already hoping to double the number of students next year.
The second tier focuses on professional development for educators. We began with River Valley Technical Center, our local CTE, helping teachers design classroom experiences rooted in game design. The response has been amazing; educators are not only adopting these tools, but shaping them in ways that make sense for their communities and classrooms.
The collegiate tier, marked by our partnership with Dartmouth’s Digital Applied Learning and Innovation Lab (DALI), has opened up a whole new level of opportunity for hands-on applied learning. Together, we’re building a pathway that connects students interested in game design to careers in Vermont.
How have students been responding to the opportunity to learn video game design and development skills through BRIC’s summer programs? What has your team learned along the way?
Chris: In rural areas like ours, students don’t always think game design is something available to them. What I’ve realized is that it’s never about whether they’re capable—they absolutely are. The real question is whether they have access to the opportunity in the first place.
We’ve learned that about a third of our summer camp attendees are homeschool students, and game design resonates with them in a unique way. It gives them space to express creativity and think deeply without the constraints of a traditional classroom. As we prepare to open our new downtown STEAM space (VRmont Studios), homeschool families especially see it as a hub for connection and hands-on learning.
We also discovered early on that some students were coming in without even the most basic digital literacy skills, things as simple as distinguishing a left-click from a right-click or knowing how to type efficiently. Instead of seeing that as a barrier, we built those fundamentals directly into our camps, and it’s made the experience stronger for everyone.
At the same time, we’ve realized many students really are familiar with gaming. They understand story arcs and they already think in terms of world-building. Game design simply hands them the tools to create something that’s meaningful to them. Watching them take ownership of their ideas and seeing how quickly they grow when given the space and support has been one of the most inspiring parts of this work.
Can you share a bit about the Vermont Cup? What is it, and how will it engage learners and creators throughout Vermont?
Chris: One of our biggest questions has always been: How do we scale this work beyond our town? The Vermont Cup is our answer. It’s a statewide video game design competition for middle and high school students, and it includes two tracks:
The first is called “Explore: Threadbare.” In this track, students create individual game components, everything from art assets and engineering elements to narrative writing and even go-to-market pitch decks. Their work is evaluated using a rubric, and winning assets will be incorporated into a template game.
The second track is “Core: Threadbare.” This more advanced option gives students the opportunity to build levels in the game from scratch, coding them from the ground up and presenting their creations to judges for feedback.
This competition is open to middle and high school students across Vermont and you can sign up here to learn more.
Can you share a bit about the new VRmont Studios? What does this space offer and how will it expand BRIC’s impact?
Chris: We’re incredibly excited about VRmont Studios! It’s the new space we’re creating in downtown Springfield focused on STEAM education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development, all under one roof.
There will be two full VR arenas and a VR arcade with virtual escape rooms, alongside areas where students can design in 3D and then literally step inside the worlds they’ve created. The space is also home to 3D printers and a laser cutter to give students the tools to prototype whatever they imagine. We also have dedicated areas for rotating STEAM exhibits and hands-on learning experiences.
Long-term, we’d love to replicate pieces of this in other rural towns. This is our model for what STEAM learning can look like in a community.
How do you see VRmont Studios helping to build a sustainable creative economy in Vermont and beyond? What role do you see game design playing in creating pathways for improved workforce development?
Chris: We love game design because it really is its own creative ecosystem. When a student builds a game, they’re doing so much more than they realize. They’re writing stories, creating characters and artwork, learning to code, designing sound, planning and managing projects, working with teammates, and pitching their ideas.
All of those experiences map directly onto real career pathways, from IT and cybersecurity to HR, marketing, and countless other industries. Game design is undeniably fun, but it’s also a powerful way to cultivate a future-ready workforce.
What role do partnerships play in supporting regional economic development and how have you seen local industry participation evolving?
Chris: Partnerships are everything for us. In a rural area, no single organization can carry this work on its own. We’ve been fortunate to build relationships with groups that contribute real expertise. Our work with the Dartmouth DALI Lab connects students directly to employer-style projects, giving them hands-on experience with real-world tech. The Vermont Research Open Source Program Office (VERSO) at the University of Vermont helps us strengthen the open-source components our programs rely on. Endless Access has been a core partner in shaping and refining the tools we use every day, while The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) has played a key role in helping us understand our impact and what it would take to scale this model to other rural communities.
In our case, it doesn’t just take a village; it truly takes several villages working together to build this kind of ecosystem.
Can you share a bit about the challenges of operating STEM programming in rural regions like Vermont? Any words of wisdom to pass along?
Chris: Rural regions are resilient, but they’re also very fragile. Often, there's only one specialist or one school doing a specific type of work, and if that person leaves or a school closes, it can disrupt the entire chain. A few lessons we’ve learned:
Stay agile. We’ve had schools close, districts consolidate, and entire programs shift. Being flexible (and having partners like Endless who encourage that flexibility) has been crucial. One thing that’s helped during district restructuring is working to embed game design into core subjects so we’re less dependent on electives that might get cut.
Data is tricky with small populations. When you’re working with small class sizes, traditional data metrics don’t always tell the full story. That’s part of why we’re pushing for SEED VT to truly become a statewide project.
Above all, we try to practice what we preach: stay lean, be ready to pivot, and keep partners close.
To learn more, visit https://www.bricvt.org/.