In this season of giving thanks, I wanted to take a minute to pause and tell you how thankful we at Scientists in School are for your support. Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise’s support is what allows us to keep moving forward on this meaningful journey we’ve embarked on together, one where we are united by our shared commitment towards one mission: to make STEM education a priority for children all over Canada.
Later this year, we will reach a milestone: our 8 millionth student scientist! That’s 300,000 classrooms throughout Alberta and Ontario over our 28-year history. Without you, none of this would be possible – children’s curiosities wouldn’t have been piqued at the sights and sounds of our hands-on workshops, and their aspirations to explore STEM fields as future careers may have remained a dream.
Donor support is vital to keeping our user-fee low, providing complimentary workshops to schools in low-income neighbourhoods, and growing our program. Approximately one-third of our reach is to youth in economically-disadvantaged situations and that wouldn’t be possible without donors like you. Like the young scientists eagerly doing experiments in our workshops, our culture at Scientists in School is one of experimenting with new initiatives and programs to multiply our impact. Recent examples we are proud of include:
- Family Science Nights to engage parents and caregivers in fostering STEM discovery alongside their children
- Community Setting Workshops to bring STEM to life, engaging youth in day-cares, libraries, camps, and after school programs through newly-developed STEM workshops suited for these kinds of settings
Another of our new initiatives and one we are most proud of is our Adopt-a-School program, which focuses on schools where our subsidized user-fee is a barrier to participation. Each adopted school receives at least one workshop for every class, and thus every child during the school year. Last year, 33 schools in low-income communities were adopted. Looking forward, we envision multi-year support for these children (and more!) because frequent Scientists in School opportunities lead to them believing in themselves and their abilities, and opens doors to future possibilities.
Please take a moment to look at the attached "Scientists in School's Impact in 2015-16 (PDF)" which highlights the impact that we have made possible together. On behalf of the Scientists in School Team, I and especially our young scientists, thank you for your incredible support. You made it happen.
We hope that you have a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend spent with family and loved ones.
Warmest wishes,
Amy
Amy Schindler
Director, Fund Development and Communications
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