Support science for our future. Make a gift to the Science Center’s Curiosity Fund to help support STEM education programs like Youth Exploring Science.
Each summer, the Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) Program makes an impact on STEM education by turning outward with the program’s YES Teens to deliver fun and accessible STEM learning experiences throughout the St. Louis community to inspire a curiosity for science and technology.
This summer, the YES Teens from the program’s Aerospace and Engineering components helped bring STEM learning to the community with the STEMtastic Camp. Now in its third year, the STEMtastic Camp saw the YES Teens visit two schools—Meadows Elementary and Glasgow Elementary—located in the Riverview Gardens school district.
Splitting time between each school, the Aerospace and Engineering YES Teens worked with the young kids, guiding them through a variety of hands-on STEM activities. This year’s STEMtastic Camp included 12 YES Teens and served 25 campers, with each camper receiving 15 STEM lessons per week.
Check out our YES Summertime Recap video on YouTube here.
The campers used common materials to build projects like windmills, hovercraft, and airplanes and helicopters, as well as straw rockets and mini rollercoasters. As the campers looked to the stars, the YES Teens aided them in building pinhole planetariums and even creating their own celestial bracelets among other art projects.
“Watching [the teens] dive headfirst, taking ownership of their roles, leading and working together as a team, making connections with the kids, and leading and teaching lessons has made me so proud,” says Chastity Culberson, Manager of the YES Program’s Aerospace component.
Asked how it felt to be a teacher and role model to the younger kids, YES Teen Daijah said, “It made me feel like I have more to give kids younger than me, and it also taught me how to meet my siblings’ needs as well.
“What stood out to me,” Daijah continued, “was that we got to build a relationship and bond with the kids. They all looked so happy to work with us. They were having fun with all the activities we brought. Everyone worked well with each other during team building activities.”
YES Teen Rhys said that the STEMtastic Camp “made me feel like I was inspiring the kids to be excited about STEM and for them to want to work in STEM careers.”
At Glasgow Elementary, that certainly seemed the case when a 4th grader named Haiden expressed his appreciation for the summer program: “I always thought I hated science until this summer. I thought it was boring and just working out of a book. I feel like science is something I really love now.”
Show your support for the YES Program.
Generous charitable gifts to the Science Center’s Curiosity Fund help support impactful STEM education programs like Youth Exploring Science.
For 25 years the Science Center’s YES Program has created a legacy of success by working with teens from underserved St. Louis neighborhoods throughout the teens’ high school years to help prepare them for the in-demand STEM careers of the future. STEM programming delivered by the YES Teens at the Science Center and in collaboration with the Science Center’s 60+ community partner organizations typically connects thousands of St. Louis community members with STEM learning each year.
Make a gift to the Curiosity Fund and help inspire the next generation of YES Teens.
Your Support
Support from donors, Science Center members, and Supporting-level members is instrumental in helping the Science Center continue offering connections to science for everyone in our region. If you’d like to show additional support for our mission, please consider donating to the Science Center’s Annual Fund, becoming a member, or becoming a Supporting-level member.
Your Impact
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