Get Involved: Prepare Our Kids for Success through STEM Education – March Edition

| Aimee Sprung

AimeeSTEM_header

Last week, I was fortunate to attend the Youth CITIES (Creating Impact Through Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability) Kick-off event, which celebrating the beginning of their annual youth training. Students enrolled in the program will spend (10) Saturdays at NERD learning:

Different types of ventures
Basic principles of entrepreneurship
How to incorporate community-giving while still generating profit
Why a venture needs money, presentation skills, and more.

At the end, each student will pitch a venture idea to a panel of judges for the chance to win funding to grow the concept.

The student entrepreneurs heard from City Councilman Tito Jackson and Youth CITIES Founder and Executive Director Vicky Wu Davis. Davis led an inspirational panel where the CEO of Merrimack Valley YMCA, Stephen Ives shared, “Every problem represents a solution and every solution represents an opportunity.”

Youth CITIES Kick-off
Youth CITIES Kick-off

In January, I posted a few terrific ways to volunteer and support STEM Education.  Youth Cities is looking for volunteers to mentor students during the March to May Bootcamp.  For more information, visit their site.

Here are a few other programs seeking tutors and mentors.  Opportunities are one-time or ongoing.

  • Boston Scholar Athletes: Each academic year, the Boston Scholar Athlete program relies on volunteer efforts to provide our scholar-athletes with tutoring and mentoring services throughout our 19 Zones. With a BSA Facilitator in each Zone, our volunteers meet with students 1-2 times per week for a minimum of one hour at a time to work on homework, study habits, and the college search and application process. Additionally, the BSA employs Interns and Work Study students who not only support our scholar-athletes in the Zone, but also assist our front office staff and Zone facilitators in their many endeavors.
  • Boston Private Industry Council: Career exploration activities require only volunteer time and a desire to share your job responsibilities and career path. The PIC offers three programs that your business, or even an individual, can participate in to meet these needs: Job Shadow Day; Mock Interview; and Career Speakers.  Right now, PIC is also looking for employers to hire Tech Apprentices for the summer.
  • Support a Local Computer Science Teacher: TEALS (Technology Education And Literacy in Schools) recruits, mentors, and places high tech professionals who are passionate about digital literacy and computer science education into high school classes as part-time teachers in a team teaching model where the school district is unable to meet their students’ Computer Science needs on its own. Volunteer applications open soon and will be posted here.

Industry professionals have much to offer students and the schools to enhance the computer science offerings.  I hope to see you at some of these terrific volunteer opportunities.

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Aimee Sprung

To keep up with Aimee you need to be up early. Like 5 AM early. Then you have to squeeze in Crossfit, grow STEM education programs, collaborate with community leaders and still keep up with her family - 2 boys require high energy. Or you can hit the snooze and sleep soundly knowing Aimee has that all covered.