This project will focus on a community-based approach to providing middle and high school students living in low-income public housing with opportunities to learn about STEM higher education and STEM careers and to develop interests, identities, and skills to pursue STEM higher education and workforce opportunities. The University of Washington 3DL Partnership, a collaboration between the College of Education and School of Social Work, together with the University of Washington Undergraduate Academic Affairs' Dream Project will partner on this effort with Neighborhood House a community organization that has served Seattle and King County?s low-income, immigrant and refugee communities since 1906.
Building on a robust, existing program, Youth Empowered with Leadership Strength (YELS), new YELS STEM programming will take place in two cohorts - a middle school cohort and a high school cohort. Each cohort will experience 120 hours of programming time, which includes mentoring through the University of Washington Dream Project, a Making and Tinkering Studio, and exposure to a multicultural STEM curriculum designed to increase awareness of the role of people of color in the STEM workforce. A formative assessment will explore the strengths and weaknesses of the program on a yearly basis in order to modify and improve it on the ground. A summative evaluation component will study the effects of STEM enhancements on youths? knowledge of STEM careers and higher education opportunities, interests and motivation to pursue STEM learning, and identification with STEM disciplines. Embedding this project in a wrap-around community organization with a long history of serving community needs will ensure long-term sustainability.
The proposed activities use innovative programming methods to increase opportunities in STEM learning for underserved youths of color. These methods will be widely disseminated locally, nationally, and internationally through practice, research and policy channels to provide knowledge for similarly planned efforts in other settings. This study will involve 116 youths in intensive YELS STEM programs and will build understanding of STEM learning and STEM careers within the community through Neighborhood House public events. Findings from this study will help develop programs to increase the diversity of the STEM workforce.
