Empowering Minds: Highlights from our STEM Enrichment in Indigenous Communities Program

Over the past 10 weeks, our STEM Enrichment in Indigenous Communities program has been in full swing, hosting biweekly classes across four grades in Webequie and Slate Falls, Ontario. Each class, attended by 16-20 students, has transformed into a vibrant exploration of science concepts through engaging, hands-on activities.

From making ice cream to explore the states of matter, heat transfer, and physical change, to constructing catapults for a fun discussion on forces and motion, our sessions have been both interactive and enlightening. We've sparked curiosity by observing reactions such as baking soda and vinegar or rusting iron using vinegar to explore chemical changes. In all the lessons we ground the concepts to their everyday lives, for example a lesson on the properties of sound involved drum construction using empty cans and balloons.

The positive feedback has been heartening, with one teacher sharing, "It was very informative for my students and myself. Kiddos enjoyed seeing chemical changes! We had to leave the steel wool in the solution for an extra 30 minutes or so, and they were intrigued to continue observing them. I think the series of experiments and presentations on the topic works really well. Thank you again, and I am looking forward to the next session." - Jeongmin

The dedication of our volunteers has been truly remarkable. So far, we've had the privilege of engaging 20 volunteers, each not only facilitating one or more classes but also dedicating their time to crafting easily understandable write-ups and presentations relevant to the curriculum. As we continue to deliver the program, we express our gratitude for the unwavering support and enthusiasm. Follow-us on our social media weekly updates about the program: FB, IG, LinkedIn.