Hands-on STEM program for youth in rural Honduras

Dear educate. community,

Hands-on STEM education helps young people put mathematical principles into practice and learn about science, electricity, physics, and design thinking. From June 9-14, we were thrilled to welcome our partners STEM IN A BOX to our Youth Center in Trinidad to facilitate our first robotics workshop, building three robots out of electronic waste while applying their learnings to real-life challenges in their communities.

A lack of resources often makes it difficult for teachers in rural public schools in Honduras to make education exciting, and STEM is an area that suffers particularly. In conversation with one of the IT teachers at the local high school that most of educate.’s scholarship students attend, he said: “We’ve never had the opportunity to offer programmes like this, as the school doesn’t have the resources.”

The Robotics Camp took place over 5 days, with 32 students from grade 9 through 12 participating. Over the course of the 5 days, students had the opportunity to experiment, play, and gain an applied understanding of scientific and mathematical concepts. In groups of three, students built three robots made of recycled materials: a hydraulic arm, an electric car, and a robotic arm, each with their own learning objectives. The practical, hands-on learning allowed them to gain a real understanding of how the robots worked, and how mathematical and scientific principles they had learned about in their classrooms at school worked in practice. They also learned how these concepts could be applied to community issues such as electricity access and water management, and created proposals in groups with their ideas. And finally, they presented at a community science fair open to teachers, families, and local educational authorities where they presented their robots and community solutions.

Breaking cycles of poverty means empowering youth to become agents of change. These opportunities for learning, leadership and meaningful engagement are such a key part of that work.

This camp was possible thanks to STEM IN A BOX, as well as our partners La Vida Foundation and, of course, you! Thank you to all those who supported us in making this incredible learning opportunity happen. Over the coming months we will be working to implement robotics within our Tecnologia con Proposito programme, replicating robotics workshops with all of our youth participants and continuing to build a programme that brings innovative STEM education to young people from rural areas where access to these opportunities is truly transformative.

Sincerely,

Antonia