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IATSE · Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware · AfterShock Fam

From a first speaker build to union careers.

A youth pipeline run with IATSE and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. You start by building a professional-grade sound system with your own hands, and you finish ready for union crew work — paid at every stage after the first.

Start a cohort
Host a build
Starts at
Age 7
Cost to family
$0
First paid work
Age 14
Apprentice stipend
$500/mo
Leads toward
Union careers

01

Where you fit

One pipeline, three entry points by age. Read down the column that matches where you are now — every stage is free to take part in, and each one leads to the next.

Entry points by age, and what applies at each
Start hereSpeaker BuildingAges 7–18Paid Teen CrewAges 14–17Union Pipeline18 and over
What you doBuild a professional-grade sound system from scratch — physics, electronics and acoustics, hands-on. Components from B&C Speakers, designs from HOQS.Run real system rentals and event support: setup, placement, tuning, phase alignment and live mixing on a Yamaha DM3-D console.Free IATSE crew training, then a paid six-month shadow apprenticeship, then full-time production internships.
What it costsNothing.Nothing.Nothing.
What you earnNothing yet — this is the build phase.Roughly $100 per event.$500 a month during the six-month apprenticeship.
Where it runsBoys & Girls Clubs of DelawareAfterShock events. The system you built stays at the Club as a revenue-generating asset.IATSE
What it leads toThe paid teen crew, from 14.IATSE crew training, from 18.A pathway toward union membership and full-time production work.
Next stepStart a cohort →Ask about the crew →Ask about IATSE →
Start here

Speaker Building

Ages 7–18
What you do
Build a professional-grade sound system from scratch — physics, electronics and acoustics, hands-on. Components from B&C Speakers, designs from HOQS.
What it costs
Nothing.
What you earn
Nothing yet — this is the build phase.
Where it runs
Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
What it leads to
The paid teen crew, from 14.
Start a cohort →

Paid Teen Crew

Ages 14–17
What you do
Run real system rentals and event support: setup, placement, tuning, phase alignment and live mixing on a Yamaha DM3-D console.
What it costs
Nothing.
What you earn
Roughly $100 per event.
Where it runs
AfterShock events. The system you built stays at the Club as a revenue-generating asset.
What it leads to
IATSE crew training, from 18.
Ask about the crew →

Union Pipeline

18 and over
What you do
Free IATSE crew training, then a paid six-month shadow apprenticeship, then full-time production internships.
What it costs
Nothing.
What you earn
$500 a month during the six-month apprenticeship.
Where it runs
IATSE
What it leads to
A pathway toward union membership and full-time production work.
Ask about IATSE →

02

The pipeline

Build.
Operate.
Earn.
Career.

Four phases. Nobody skips one, and nobody pays for any of them.

  1. 01Phase 1 · Build

    Speaker Building

    Ages 7–18 build a professional-grade sound system from scratch — learning physics, electronics, and acoustics. Components from B&C Speakers; designs from HOQS.

    Output — a working system
  2. 02Phase 2 · Operate

    Deploy & Mix

    Setup, placement, tuning, phase alignment, and live mixing — signal flow, gain staging, monitors, and soundcheck on a Yamaha DM3-D console.

    Output — a show run
  3. 03Phase 3 · Earn

    Paid Audio Gigs

    Teens (14–17) earn roughly $100 per event running real system rentals and event support. Built systems stay at the Club as a revenue-generating asset.

    Output — first wages
  4. 04Phase 4 · Career

    Union Pipeline

    At 18+, participants enter free IATSE crew training, then a paid 6-month shadow apprenticeship ($500/mo stipend), then full-time production internships.

    Output — a path into union crews

03

Where it runs today

The 2026 Delaware expansion, stated plainly.

Program figures, 2026 Delaware expansion
MeasureFigureNote
New club builds42026
Students targeted, 2026120across the four
Delaware sites4see below
Apprenticeship stipend$500per month, 6 months
Dover · Milford · Laurel · Brown-Fraim

04

STEM toward a union career

Talent is everywhere. Access isn’t.

AfterShock Fam treats hands-on audio engineering as more than a hobby — it’s a proven on-ramp to skilled-trades careers. Every cohort starts with a Boys & Girls Club youth building a professional-grade sound system from scratch, and ends with a path into paid IATSE stagehand work.

This page is the workforce-pipeline overview. Our flagship page for hosting a build is Amplify Buildworks.

Start a cohort

Get in touch

For clubs, schools and partners who want a build on site — and for families asking which stage their young person fits. Tell us which and a coordinator will come back to you.

info@aftershockfam.org

AfterShock Fam · a Philadelphia 501(c)(3) · EIN 85-1124462 · Philadelphia, PA 19154