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January resources from Million Girls Moonshot

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January resources from Million Girls Moonshot

January: National Mentoring Month

Talk Technology with Verizon Employees 

January 30th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm ET

Give your students real-world applications of STEM with a LIVE talk with STEM professionals. 

With your students, tune into this live webinar, to learn more about the day-to-day from professionals working at a leading global communications technology company. Students will have an opportunity to ask questions. 

Register Here

Trainings for January 2024

ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions 

Tuesdays: 1/16, 1/30, and 2/13/2024 6:00 - 8:00 pm EST / 3:00 - 5:00 pm PST

Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice.  This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER HERE Code: AC325PQ (Coach Emma C)

ACRES Coaching: Elevating Youth Voice and Choice (For OST professionals who have completed Asking Purposeful Questions)

Wednesdays: 1/17, 1/31, 2/14/2024 11am - 1pm EST / 8am - 10am PST

How often do youth in your program get to choose what they’re investigating or designing, the materials they might use and/or how they engage with the work? In this module, participants try out strategies for elevating youth voice and choice and apply the ideas as they redesign a STEM activity to incorporate a greater variety of youth input. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER HERE Code: AC346VC (Coach Becky T)

ACRES Coaching: Facilitating Engineering Practices 

Mondays: 1/29, 2/12, 2/26/2024 12pm - 2pm EST / 9am - 11am PST

Engineering has become a staple of STEM programming for youth. How can we confidently bring engineering into our programming and support youth as they engage in problem solving? In this module, participants gain first-hand experience with engineering by solving a design problem. They examine the components of the engineering design process and discuss ways to model the process with youth.

*The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER HERE Code: AC326EP (Coach Emma C)

Transformative Practices for January 2024 

The Million Girls Moonshot aims to raise awareness of the following four research-based practices — Equity and Inclusion, Engineering Mindsets, Role Model, Mentors, and Families, and STEM Pathways and Transition — proven to remove barriers to access and quality STEM learning experiences.

Equity and Inclusion

  • Access to STEM Framework: To improve the overall quality of out-of-school STEM programs, we need to address how program providers design and implement programming to increase access in STEM for youth who have been underrepresented in the STEM fields. Partnering with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and national experts, we have developed an Access to STEM Framework — a guide for supporting program providers in this transformation. Download the Framework. Dive into the three main components of the Framework below:. 
    • Increasing Access - Strategies that address barriers to participation and build on the experiences within the community.
    • Youth Centric - Strategies that build on the specific strengths, needs, and challenges of youth.
    • Skill Development - Strategies that are personally relevant to youth and enable them to develop STEM and 21st century skills.
  • Broadening Participating Toolkit: To help informal STEM education and science communication groups reflect on and strengthen their efforts to broaden participation in STEM, CAISE’s Broadening Participation in STEM Task Force has developed a suite of professional development tools. 
  • The Genius of Play: Six Ways to Combat STEM Stereotypes through Play - In this Genius of Play Expert Advice article, Dr. Amanda Sullivan, Senior Program Developer at NGCP, explains that play is the perfect place for early educators and caregivers to start combatting STEM stereotypes with young children. This article provides six easy ways educators and caregivers can foster play that breaks STEM stereotypes. 

Engineering Mindsets

  • Engineering Mindset Overview: An engineering mindset refers to the attitudes and thinking skills associated with engineering — using a systematic engineering design process, considering real-world problems, applying math and science, and working in teams. The Moonshot focuses on 10 engineering practices. An overview of each practice follows and subsequent briefs will explore each one individually.
    • Engineering Practices Part 1 Recorded Training: A Moonshot webinar recording to review the following three of the ten Engineering Practices: 1) Consider real-world problems, 2) Use a systemic problem-solving process, and 3) Explore the properties and uses of materials.
    • Engineering Practices Part 2 Recorded Training: A Moonshot webinar recording to review the following three of the ten Engineering Practices: 1) Balance criteria and constraints, 2) Apply science and math, and 3) Envision multiple solutions.
    • Engineering Practices Part 3 Recording Training: A Moonshot webinar recording to review the following three of the ten Engineering Practices: 1) Evaluate designs and iterate, 2) Persist and learn from failure, 3) Work effectively in teams, and 4) Identify as engineers.
  • Service Learning and STEM: This concise two page document lists connections between Service Learning and STEM. Multiple links to Spotlight on Service-Learning articles are also listed. 
  • Youth Advisory Board Town Hall: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society: During this Town Hall, NGCP's Youth Advisory Board and esteemed experts discussed how communities and individuals can equip themselves with knowledge about AI and assess its potential influence on their lives.

Role Models, Mentors, and Families

Role models, mentors, and family engagement in a young person’s STEM education leads to increased interest, greater self-confidence, and ultimately a stronger STEM identity. Developing a science-related identity increases the likelihood that students will work toward developing science literacy, or even pursue a career in a science or STEM-related field.

  • Creating Connections with Role Models: The Power of Collaboration: From Techbridge Girls, in collaboration with The National Girls Collaborative Project, this guide is intended to support leaders with the recruitment and preparation of role models to inspire girls in science, technology, and engineering. This is an outline of Techbridge’s “recipe for success” for role models, while encouraging you to make changes that best fit your needs.
  • The Role of Diverse Mentorship in Education Equity - Mentors are uniquely positioned to help increase diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in STEM by serving as role models for individuals that look and identify like them, encouraging a more welcoming environment for continued growth for marginalized communities. Four IEEE members describe their personal experience and the impact that diverse role models made on their STEM careers.
  • Role Models Matter Training: Virtual training program developed by Techbridge Girls to help role models develop the skills to best engage girls from marginalized communities.
  • STEM Family Engagement Planning Tool: A planning tool to support programs in uplifting and empowering all youth and families in STEM. 

ASSETS FROM THE IF/THEN® COLLECTION

These assets featuring IF/THEN® Ambassadors Roselin Rosario-Mele?ndez, Cosmetic Chemist, and Terry Burns, Technology Investor, can be used in marketing, social media, and conference presentations.

Continuous STEM Learning Pathways

Research tells us that continuous engagement and exposure rather than limited one-time opportunities are needed to nurture the interest and motivation necessary for children to pursue STEM pathways long term. The Moonshot aims to understand and support transitions and handoffs that remove barriers for youth by connecting STEM learning across ages and settings, ensuring youth interest and motivation persists.

  • Possible Futures — Career Exploration Curriculum: Open source curriculum that complements and enriches both school and afterschool settings 1) expanding career awareness through authentic experiential learning opportunities; 2) encouraging students to explore their diverse interests, talents, and options; 3) enlivening STEM subjects by bringing in real-world and career contexts; 4) empowering students to develop vital employability skills; and 5) engaging students in making informed choices.

Below are some adaptations of the Possible Futures Career Exploration Curriculum specifically for afterschool and summer programs:

  • Career Foundations Adaptation: A collection of 14 lessons, a streamlined combination of the Lenses on the Future and Skills for Success units of Possible Futures curriculum.
  • College and Career Readiness Toolkit: Maryland Out of School Time (MOST) embedded the Career Foundations Unit of Possible Futures into this toolkit that serves as a guide for OST providers.
  • The Connected Learning Research Network: Reflections on a Decade of Engaged Scholarship: This report from the Connected Learning Research Network (CLRN) presents a vision for understanding and revitalizing the ways in which we support learning during these changing times. This report synthesizes a varied set of content and perspectives: empirical research on the changing landscape of new media and learning, design principles, evaluation approaches, learner and case studies oriented to identifying and spreading positive innovations.
  • Toolkit: Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunities: A Hive Research Lab toolkit to explore the various ways in which out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering - supporting the identity development, social capital building and long-term, interest-driven learning across settings actively connecting program participants to new learning opportunities.

Activities for January 2024

  • Can Plants Stop Soil Erosion?: Intermediate level environmental engineering activity lasting 2-4 weeks. Oil erosion can cost the world billions of dollars every year by washing pollutants into our streams and rivers and by causing the loss of farmland. What can you do about this problem? Help save the world (and some money!) with nothing more than a few plants!
  • Build a Jumping Robot: Intermediate level mechanical engineering activity lasting 2-5 days. Can you build a robot that hops like a frog? In this engineering project, you will learn how to build a simple robot that uses the energy stored in a stretched rubber band to jump. You will use the engineering design process to try to make your robot jump higher and farther. How far can you make it jump?
  • Gravity: It's What Keeps Us Together: This set of ten easy to understand activities use math to understand gravity on Earth and in space.  The activities are kid-centered (for example, what would I weigh on Mars) and use math in an integrated format.  
  • Space Weather Math: These hands-on activities combine an understanding of math with an understanding of weather and climate.  Easy to prep, do, and follow up. 
  • Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics: Highly engaging activities for grades 5-8 and 9-12 combine math and engineering to create model planes. 

Celebrate Digital Inclusion Week

While you might already be aware of October being the month for celebrating Lights On Afterschool, did you know there is another celebration happening as well? Digital Inclusion Week is October 7 to 11 this year, but it is being honored the entire month of October. Similar to how Lights On...

BY: Leslie Brooks      10/08/24

October resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for October 2024 Techbridge Girls: Become a Certified Techbridge Girls STEM Curriculum Facilitator October 16: Applications Open October 30: Information Session. REGISTER. Using a blend of theory and application, youth instructors become certified in delivering Techbridge...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/07/24

Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society: Our Theory of Change

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. We are excited to showcase the systemic change young people can make in their communities when their afterschool programs support them to layer action onto...

BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      10/01/24

As Congress returns to Washington, STEM advocates seek adequate funding

As the summer ends, members of Congress, their staff, and advocates for many causes are getting ready for the next steps in the FY 2025 budget and appropriations process. When Congress adjourned for its annual August recess, the House had passed five of the twelve annual spending bills, while the...

BY: Leslie Brooks      09/13/24

Just in time for school: New Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review!

The Afterschool STEM Hub, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance, is happy to share the fall edition of our Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review newsletter with the afterschool community! This newsletter aims to provide you with summaries of recent research from the field of afterschool,...

BY: Leslie Brooks      09/09/24

August resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for August 2024 ACRES Coaching: Making Math Engaging Thursdays: 8/22, 9/5, 9/19/2024 1:00 - 3:00 pm EST / 10:00 am- Noon PST Are you looking for fun ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      08/06/24

New resource database for programs interested in STEM, civic engagement, and youth empowerment

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are excited to showcase the systemic change...

BY: Leah Silverberg      08/05/24

Integrating play-based learning and STEM practices

By Blythe Romano, Research Specialist with the Association of Children’s Museums. Since 2020, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and Oregon State University STEM Research Center (OSU) has been working on the development of a set of tools that explore the intersection of play...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/18/24

Highlights from the Flight Crew Experience at Girls Build Solutions 2024

After six months of virtual programming as members of the Million Girls Moonshot 2024 Flight Crew, from June 24 to 26, 2024, young STEM advocates met in-person at Girls Build Solutions (GBS) 2024! The Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew, launched by STEM Next Opportunity to engage millions more...

BY: Elizabeth Bannan      07/09/24

July resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for July 2024 ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions Mondays: 7/8, 7/22, and 8/5/2024 2:00- 4:00 pm EST / 11:00 am- 1:00 pm PST Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      07/02/24

October resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for October 2024 Techbridge Girls: Become a Certified Techbridge Girls STEM Curriculum Facilitator October 16: Applications Open October 30: Information Session. REGISTER. Using a blend of theory and application, youth instructors become certified in delivering Techbridge...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/07/24

August resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for August 2024 ACRES Coaching: Making Math Engaging Thursdays: 8/22, 9/5, 9/19/2024 1:00 - 3:00 pm EST / 10:00 am- Noon PST Are you looking for fun ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      08/06/24

Highlights from the Flight Crew Experience at Girls Build Solutions 2024

After six months of virtual programming as members of the Million Girls Moonshot 2024 Flight Crew, from June 24 to 26, 2024, young STEM advocates met in-person at Girls Build Solutions (GBS) 2024! The Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew, launched by STEM Next Opportunity to engage millions more...

BY: Elizabeth Bannan      07/09/24

July resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for July 2024 ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions Mondays: 7/8, 7/22, and 8/5/2024 2:00- 4:00 pm EST / 11:00 am- 1:00 pm PST Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      07/02/24

June resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for June 2024 ACRES Coaching: Make Math Engaging Mondays: 6/3, 6/17, and 7/1 at 10AM- 12PM EST / 7AM - 9:00AM PST Are you looking for fun ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily routines in...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      06/03/24

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

May resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for May 2024 ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions Wednesdays: 5/8, 5/22, 6/5/2024 2:00 - 4:00 pm EST / 11:00 - 1:00 pm PST Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      05/13/24

Million Girls Moonshot resources for April

Trainings for April  2024 ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions Tuesdays: 4/16, 4/30, and 5/14/2024 11:00 am- 1:00 pm EST / 8:00 - 10:00 am PST Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      04/04/24

Million Girls Moonshot resources for March

Trainings for March 2024 ACRES Coaching: Make Math Engaging Wednesdays: 3/20 and 4/3/2024, 2 - 4 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. PST Are you looking for fun ways to help youth build number sense and problem-solving skills? Math can take on new meaning when it is integrated into daily routines...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      03/07/24

February resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for February 2024 Click2Engineering: Asking Purposeful Questions Coaching 2/1; 2/15; 3/7 from 12:00 - 2:00pm EST / 9:00 - 11:00am PST Click2Engineering is offering an ACRES (Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM) training on Asking Purposeful Questions in...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      02/06/24

Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society: Our Theory of Change

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. We are excited to showcase the systemic change young people can make in their communities when their afterschool programs support them to layer action onto...

BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      10/01/24

New resource database for programs interested in STEM, civic engagement, and youth empowerment

This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are excited to showcase the systemic change...

BY: Leah Silverberg      08/05/24

Youth voice in afterschool STEM: Peeking behind the curtain

STEM learning in afterschool has really taken off over the past decade and there is little doubt of the importance of these spaces for engaging young people with STEM. The most recent America After 3PM study tells us that 73% of afterschool programs offer STEM and that 72% of parents look for these...

BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      06/27/24

Afterschool programs fill the AI skills gap

By Audra Darbyshire, Creative Manager at Technovation. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the intersection of STEM and civic...

BY: Guest Blogger      06/06/24

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution. By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

Youth Action for the Planet

Photo Credit: California Academy of Sciences By Aleks Liou, Program Manager at Youth Action for the Planet. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs...

BY: Guest Blogger      04/30/24

Engaging in the process of science using the FieldScope community and citizen science platform

By Jessica R. Bean, Ph.D., UC Berkeley. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs working at the  intersection of STEM and civic engagement. We are...

BY: Guest Blogger      04/01/24

Youth at the helm: Exploring sustainability through teen-led initiatives

By Lindsey DeLorey, Public Events and Youth Programs Coordinator at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs...

BY: Guest Blogger      02/23/24

Looking ahead in 2024 – what’s coming up for our afterschool STEM work?

I hope the new year has launched well for all of you! After a year of changes in our afterschool STEM work and team, we are energized about the year ahead! 2023 saw us bringing on Leslie Brooks as our new Afterschool STEM Hub Manager to revitalize our federal afterschool STEM policy work. We...

BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      01/31/24

Celebrate Digital Inclusion Week

While you might already be aware of October being the month for celebrating Lights On Afterschool, did you know there is another celebration happening as well? Digital Inclusion Week is October 7 to 11 this year, but it is being honored the entire month of October. Similar to how Lights On...

BY: Leslie Brooks      10/08/24

As Congress returns to Washington, STEM advocates seek adequate funding

As the summer ends, members of Congress, their staff, and advocates for many causes are getting ready for the next steps in the FY 2025 budget and appropriations process. When Congress adjourned for its annual August recess, the House had passed five of the twelve annual spending bills, while the...

BY: Leslie Brooks      09/13/24

Just in time for school: New Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review!

The Afterschool STEM Hub, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance, is happy to share the fall edition of our Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review newsletter with the afterschool community! This newsletter aims to provide you with summaries of recent research from the field of afterschool,...

BY: Leslie Brooks      09/09/24

Integrating play-based learning and STEM practices

By Blythe Romano, Research Specialist with the Association of Children’s Museums. Since 2020, the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) and Oregon State University STEM Research Center (OSU) has been working on the development of a set of tools that explore the intersection of play...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/18/24

Afterschool STEM policy updates: June 2024

Members of the Afterschool STEM Hub meeting with Jacquelun Southerland in Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)'s office during the 2024 Afterschool for All Challenge With summer upon us, the country’s economy–and its STEM advocates–remain focused on fulfilling the promise of the...

BY: Leslie Brooks      06/28/24

OST STEM preparing young people for “green jobs”

Photo courtesy of Oasis Bike Workshop By Katie Headrick Taylor, Associate Professor, University of Washington’s College of Education. In 2021, President Biden proposed that 10 million green jobs be part of the federal government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. These “green...

BY: Guest Blogger      06/25/24

Afterschool is increasing digital opportunity: Here’s how

Many afterschool programs offer spaces where youth, who might not have broadband access at home, can develop digital literacy outside of the school day, increasing digital access opportunities for both the youth and their communities. Even more important, though, is how afterschool programs...

BY: Leslie Brooks      05/28/24

Hot off the press: Spring Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review

The Afterschool STEM Hub, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance, is happy to share the spring edition of our Afterschool STEM Quarterly Research Review newsletter with the afterschool community! This newsletter aims to provide you with summaries of recent research from the field of afterschool,...

BY: Leslie Brooks      05/16/24

Afterschool STEM Hub hosts Capitol Hill briefing on impact of afterschool STEM programs on older youth

Panel featuring Anita Krishnamurthi, Zainab Abbas, Natalie Taitano, Siobhán Hayes, and Jubei Brown-Weaver. Photo courtesy of Liana Shivers. On Thursday, April 11, 2024, the Afterschool STEM Hub, an initiative of the Afterschool Alliance, hosted a congressional briefing on the benefits of...

BY: Leslie Brooks      04/29/24

Congress wraps up FY2024 spending with mixed results for STEM education

by Della Cronin, principal of the Bose Public Affairs Group. The 118th Congress recently completed the fiscal year 2024 budget and appropriations process via the enactment of two packages of spending bills. The two massive measures each included six spending bills. The first invests $467.5...

BY: Guest Blogger      04/08/24

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

Youth Action for the Planet

Photo Credit: California Academy of Sciences By Aleks Liou, Program Manager at Youth Action for the Planet. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs...

BY: Guest Blogger      04/30/24

An afterschool STEM advocacy story

Photo courtesy of California Academy of Sciences By Rachael Van Schoik, Science Action Club Manager, California Academy of Sciences. My advocacy story is Science Action Club’s (SAC) advocacy story. A program within the California Academy of Sciences, a world renowned museum and research...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/15/24

Guest blog: Creating tomorrow’s engineers with Design Squad Latinx

By Nicki Sirianni, Education Outreach and Marketing Manager of GBH Education. Government, industry, research, and education leaders all agree that a strong engineering workforce is an essential part of the future economy in the U.S. and across the globe. Despite the need for more engineers,...

BY: Guest Blogger      03/04/24

Youth at the helm: Exploring sustainability through teen-led initiatives

By Lindsey DeLorey, Public Events and Youth Programs Coordinator at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights examples of programs...

BY: Guest Blogger      02/23/24

Are you ready for the April 8 total solar eclipse?

Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash. By Dennis Schatz, Institute for Learning Innovation and past president of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). Do you remember the excitement around the 2017 total solar eclipse? Well, it is going to happen again on Monday, April 8 of this...

BY: Guest Blogger      02/15/24

Power up afterschool learning with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Michael Compton, STEM Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council. The acronym STEM refers to the four disciplines of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. STEM is a popular content area to engage young people in exciting, engaging, hands-on learning...

BY: Guest Blogger      09/12/23

Clemson University Science Outreach Center develops graphic novel to inspire youth-led STEM Justice initiatives

By Renée Lyons,  Director of Science Outreach for Clemson University’s College of Science This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs highlights...

BY: Guest Blogger      06/30/23

July resources from Million Girls Moonshot

Trainings for July 2024 ACRES Coaching: Asking Purposeful Questions Mondays: 7/8, 7/22, and 8/5/2024 2:00- 4:00 pm EST / 11:00 am- 1:00 pm PST Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      07/02/24

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

Power up afterschool learning with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Michael Compton, STEM Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council. The acronym STEM refers to the four disciplines of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. STEM is a popular content area to engage young people in exciting, engaging, hands-on learning...

BY: Guest Blogger      09/12/23

Building Capacity for Youth Climate Leadership and Action through Youth Climate Summits

Photo courtesy of The Wild Center. By Elodie Linck, The Jeanne Hutchins Youth Climate Coordinator at The Wild Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/11/23

Sustainability, systems thinking, and the ocean

Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution By Heidi Gibson, Manager, Global Sustainability Series, Smithsonian Science Education Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      05/20/24

Teen Science Cafés: Teens and STEM experts exploring our world together

Photo courtesy of Louisa Otto, Sanford PROMISE Teen Science Café. By Katey Ahmann, Director of Teen Science Café Network and Kristin Bayans, Manager of Network Engagement at Teen Science Café Network. This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's Collective for...

BY: Guest Blogger      01/25/24

It’s time for takeoff! Applications for the 2024 Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew open on International Day of the Girl

By Veronica Gonzales, STEM Next Opportunity Fund. The Million Girls Moonshot is looking for afterschool STEM champions to join the 2024 Flight Crew! The Moonshot has launched a nation-wide search for the Flight Crew - a group of youth advocates promoting the value of out-of-school STEM learning...

BY: Guest Blogger      10/11/23

Building Capacity for Youth Climate Leadership and Action through Youth Climate Summits

Photo courtesy of The Wild Center. By Elodie Linck, The Jeanne Hutchins Youth Climate Coordinator at The Wild Center This blog is part of the Afterschool Alliance's new “Collective for Youth Empowerment in STEM & Society” (CYESS) initiative. This series of blogs...

BY: Guest Blogger      07/11/23