According to the U.S. Department of Education, — All young people should be prepared to think deeply and to think well so that they have the chance to become the innovators, educators, researchers, and leaders who can solve the most pressing challenges facing our nation and our world, both today and tomorrow. But, right now, not enough of our youth have access to quality STEM learning opportunities and too few students see these subjects as possible careers.
In response, the Y is creating opportunities for youth to explore STEM and develop decision-making, problem-solving and analytical skills. STEM programming is implemented in curriculum through Anaheim Achieves after school program and day camp.
STEM RELATED PROGRAMS, EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES PROGRAMS
- Gardens (water-wise, vegetable, butterfly, and flower): junior high students develop plans and build gardens for their school sites. Elementary students create an environment to study the stages of butterflies
Program Wide Events
- Environmental Awareness Showcase: connects families, collaborators and the community through a fun-filled public event showcasing Environmental Awareness activities and projects Anaheim Achieves students learned about and participated in. Each school site selected an environmental issue facing our planet and students are tasked with becoming more educated about the topic. Each school will present what they have learned and showcase two community projects they conducted during the school year.
The Showcase occurs towards the end of the school year at a city park. It is open to the community and free of charge. - Science Fairs: K thru 6th grade students host an on-site Science Fair. Youth submit a science experience to be judged. The finalist from each school site conducts a formal presentation to a panel of judges at a culminating Science Fair Clubs
- Music production, Code Breaking, Imagination Playground, Film, Gardening, Cooking, Photography
- Code Campus
CURRICULUM
Science Action Club, Imagine Science, Kidz Math, Kidz Science, Math Maze, Science Explorers, Inside the Outdoors/ Traveling Scientist, Math Plus, SciGirls, STEM to story
ESPORTS
Our Jr. High and High School programs offer Esports, a competitive gaming program that provides students to compete in in person as well as online tournaments. Students learn valuable skills playing Esports in school; working with others, social skills, strategic thinking and planning, managing success and failure, time management, and pro-social values. The Benefits of Esports in Schools:
- Brings Success to More Students
- Inclusion is Good for Students and the Community
- Students Learn Valuable Skills Playing Esports in School
- Esports in Schools Fosters STEM Learning
- Esports in Schools Expands College and Career Opportunities
PARTNERSHIPS
CSUF Teacher Pathways, Republic Services, Inside the Outdoors, California Academy of Sciences, California School-Age Consortium, OC STEM Ecosystem
OPPORTUNITIES
Parent engagement: parent/child nights, create awareness campaign
STEM Professional mentors
STEM Website: content being generated for our new website
Start Mini Maker fair: all grades involved
STEM challenges: have Y youth participate in programs outside the Y
STEM curriculum: sustainability, coding, engineering fundamentals
STEM PROGRAM GOALS FOR STUDENTS
- To learn to solve problems
- To spark curiosity and creativity
- To reshape “failure” – it’s okay if you don’t to get something right the first time. Try and try again until you succeed
- To interest and prepare students for future STEM careers
- To reinvent the way students, see and feel about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
STEM INITIATIVES IN ORANGE COUNTY
At the Y, we know we can’t do it alone. By working together with partners and other organizations, we can have a greater impact in our communities, reach more youth and spark their interest in STEM.
SCIENCE ACTION CLUB
Created by the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Science Action Club features high quality staff training and science kits that inspire wonder for the natural world. Students learn through hands on projects and interactive discussions. The Citizen Science component provides students the opportunity to participate in real research that is used by NASA, The California Academy of Sciences, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
IMAGINE SCIENCE, ORANGE COUNTY
Four of the nation’s largest youth development organizations — YMCA of the USA, the National 4-H Council, Boys & Girls Club of America, and Girls Inc. — are forming a multi-year partnership to jointly tackle the challenge of engaging under-represented youth in stem learning.
This groundbreaking new partnership is called Imagine Science.
The Orange County STEM Initiative’s mission is to partner with community stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, businesses, and funders) invested in the improvement of the quality and outcome of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in Orange County to develop the critical thinking, creative and innovative leaders of tomorrow.
