STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Post

At last week's convening, we asked our partners: How do we achieve collective impact and level up our ability to help youth use STEM for social good? Read more about the programs doing this work and using afterschool STEM to inspire, empower, and equip young people with the skills they need to change the world. See how Mikva Challenge, Technovation, Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), and more are prioritizing youth voice and inspiring young people to take charge of their STEM experience—and how you can too! https://lnkd.in/e8hdeN8G

Did you know that according to a 2020 University of Idaho news article, "the science and technology sectors in Idaho have boomed over the past decade. Today, 25% of Idaho's revenue and 70% of exports are from those industries and the number of high-tech jobs in Idaho has increased by 61%. Yet, Idaho-based companies are having trouble filling open positions with the local workforce." Investing in STEM and making a donation to Idaho STEM Action Center Foundation you will: Empower Students: Spark curiosity and engagement through interactive learning experiences, like the International Science & Engineering Fair. Equip Educators: Offer professional development opportunities to enhance STEM teaching skills. Bridge the Gap: Ensure equitable access to quality STEM education for all Idaho students, especially those in rural and underserved communities. Donate now: https://lnkd.in/gBmEV-uy

I have used google's NotebookLM to generate an AI podcast (~15 minutes) discussing the content of this 62 page PDF: https://lnkd.in/gKs8VZnQ

We have two major reasons why we're counting down the days to MetroWest Stem Education Network's June 5th panel, "Aligning Education with STEM Workforce Needs." 1. The panel discussion aims to foster a conversation on the development of collaborative efforts to empower and prepare our region’s youth for fulfilling, engaged lives and productive careers, now and for decades to come. 2. Jennifer Applebaum, our Managing Director of Workforce Development, will be one of the panelists! If you're a fan of optimizing education to power #sustainable #workforcedevelopment or Jennifer Applebaum (or, better yet, both), register at https://lnkd.in/g5YnEunD Can't wait to see you there!

Sarah’s story begins like so many girls across this country. Growing up in a low-income community, her boundless curiosity for science met with limited resources and role models.  Everything changed when she became a Techbridge Girl. This year, we impacted 25,000 girls across the country like Sarah by training and equipping their educators with the tools to create inclusive spaces where these youth can become critical STEM thinkers, develop and grow a practice mindset with the engineering design process, and enjoy STEM. Join us in our mission to build equitable STEM education at bit.ly/TBGGiving.

Our colleagues share their passion for STEM with youth across the country through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nurturing a diverse STEM workforce is critical to generating the most innovative and inclusive solutions to global challenges. As volunteers, our colleagues encourage Club kids to dream big and imagine themselves as future innovators by participating in hands-on activities and sharing their STEM career stories. Together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and our colleagues, we're working to ensure all youth have opportunities to pursue and succeed in STEM.

MASP is excited to partner with the Million Girls Moonshot initiative to convene a community practice for Michigan's Out of School Time (OST) program. This 4 month MASP Community of Practice course, will focus on implementing a Family Engineering Night as well as connect programs with statewide engineering mentors. This Community of Practice will be in partnership with the Million Girls Moonshot initiative that leverages the Afterschool State Networks and catalyzes resources so that more youth can access high-quality STEM experiences by 2025! Together, we want to equip more program providers to create quality STEM learning spaces for all youth. Register: https://lnkd.in/gNug6mfu

The Susan Gray School has opened its new inclusive STEM Lab in honor of former Interim Director Sharon Shields and Vanderbilt alumna Katherine Osten. The STEM lab will be accessible to children who attend Susan Gray School, the Vanderbilt Acorn School, and Davidson County families engaged in developmental therapy at the school. In the lab, students will explore STEM concepts such as buoyancy, velocity, measurement, and coding through hands-on and playful learning activities. Learn more: bit.ly/3BcGZ9i

The theme of this year’s Children’s Week (19-27 Oct) is “Children have the right to a clean and safe environment”. Gain inspiration for how you can empower children to contribute to a clean and safe world with these inquiry-based STEM project ideas from early learning services across Australia: https://lnkd.in/gRjFfeFC   The 2024 Children’s Week theme is a great launchpad for co-developing an inquiry-based project with your children. If you’re new to inquiry-based STEM projects, they involve children exploring a specific question with an emphasis on process (rather than quickly finding the answer). Inquiry-based projects build upon the children’s interests and give them the space to plan, implement, and document their investigations.    Check out our Inquiry Cycle here: https://lnkd.in/gRjFfeFC   #STEMEducation #EarlyChildhoodEducation #EducationActivities #ECEC #EarlyLearning #EarlyLearningActivities #ChildrensWeek 

Our colleagues share their passion for STEM with youth across the country through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nurturing a diverse STEM workforce is critical to generating the most innovative and inclusive solutions to global challenges. As volunteers, our colleagues encourage Club kids to dream big and imagine themselves as future innovators by participating in hands-on activities and sharing their STEM career stories. Together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and our colleagues, we're working to ensure all youth have opportunities to pursue and succeed in STEM.