Wyoming youth empowerment is an essential part of education outside of school
time. A program that showcases this work is the MakeHER Scholars Program, a partnership
across the state working to empower young women in STEM learning opportunities.
According to the director of the MakeHER Scholars Program, University of Wyoming
COE Makerspace Coordinator Jane Crayton, the program launched thanks to a grant funded
to the
Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA) from the
STEMnext Foundation thanks to the
Million Girls Moonshot . The Million Girls Moonshot seeks to re-imagine who can engineer, who can build,
who can make. It seeks to inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by
engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool
and summer programs over the next 5 years. The MakeHER Scholars take asynchronous
courses and meet other scholars in the program through virtual meetups. The 2021 -2022
program will include an in-person training over the Presidents Day weekend in February.
Learn more about the 2021-2022 Cohort opportunities at the
WYAA MakeHER webpage. During this program, scholars learn how to deliver inclusive programs for girls
in co-gender and single-gender workshops. As mentioned by a few people interviewed,
oftentimes girls are not encouraged to attempt interactive activities and may even
be pushed away from these attempts as boys are being taught to take the lead when
it comes to utilizing tools or crafting objects. Addressing this common issue that
hinders women's entry into STEM is vital to the MakeHER Scholars Program. Upon completing
the Scholars Program, the newly trained scholars are eligible for a small starter
grant from WYAA to start their afterschool program in their local communities across
Wyoming. They are encouraged to collaborate with other makerspaces and offer the collaborating
makerspace funds to support the purchase of small equipment for the space to accommodate
the programs. Some examples of investments made include soldering irons, heat presses,
and vinyl cutters. There is excellent news as the MakeHER Scholars Program is currently
looking for their second-year cohorts who will be trained in the upcoming spring of
2022. Applications are due by November 19th, but there is still so much more to learn
about the MakeHER Scholars Program from the individuals who were fortunate enough
to be a part of the first-year cohort.
The first-year cohort came together and built some fantastic programming across
the state by learning from one another. This sentiment came from Emily Leinen, the
graduate assistant for the UW Makerspace and developer of much of the MakeHER Scholars
Program virtual courses. Emily was excited to describe the opportunities to learn
how to work with young adults for those interested in working with youth empowerment.
The learning comes from the interactive activities core to the Million Girls Moonshot
campaign and MakeHER Scholars Program. The scholars from the first year were able
to examine how they find answers and how to inspire in students a curious mind that
also invites creativity and hands-on practice of these STEM concepts. One of the pieces
that she learned from this first year is what it means to develop practical distance-oriented
classes. Her focus in college is on distance and virtual class design, and she was
able to create courses for the MakeHER Scholars Program that fit with various principles
in the coursework. Yet, Emily mentioned that another benefit to being a part of this
course development was seeing pitfalls and finding resolutions. This philosophy is
a crucial piece mentioned in training offered to MakeHER Scholars.
These observations were echoed by one of the scholars who came from a background
outside of the STEM field. Emily Haver, a 4-H Educator through the UW Extension Unit,
works in Carbon County and notes that she wants opportunities for meaningful youth
involvement no matter where her students reside. In Carbon County, some students live
in Rawlins, and some students live in neighboring towns that do not receive as many
event opportunities geared to their youth. When she heard about this Scholars Program,
she thought it would be interesting to apply. Yet, the real issue for her was the
STEM focus, as this was not her main interest and sometimes felt like a buzzword in
education. What she gained from the Scholars Program, though, was the realization
that she could craft this STEM focus in whatever way matched the youth needs and her
background passions. From this understanding, she created activities that were geared
to self-sufficiency and creative thinking. This type of thinking is in alignment with
makers thinking, wherein the goal is to empower others to make the objects they want
or need in their everyday life through skill development and information sharing.
Emily was able to utilize this mentality in the programs she created. She brought
in activities from multiple resources such as COE Library Makerspace and
www.teachengineering.com to develop two summer camps focused on empowering young girls to practice STEM concepts.
Another scholar had a different background but was thoroughly excited to be a part
of the first-year cohort.
Another scholar named René Williams mentioned how her experience with the
MakeHER Scholars Program had truly elevated the work she had been doing with other
STEM-related projects. Rene founded a non-profit organization called
Science Loves Art, where they build science/art kits for rural students. Her background is in art,
but Rene has consistently collaborated with multiple scientists to show how scientific
information could be conveyed in a wide array of artistic fashions. These science/art
kits are partially funded through the EPSCOR Microbe grant at UW as well as many other
organizational partners, and have enabled her the opportunity to showcase activities
and assist students in their scientific learning. Part of joining this Scholars Program
turned out to be for partnership collaborations and to build more understanding of
Wyoming student needs. Rene mentioned how the grant was utilized to develop future
kits and expand programming available to youth by purchasing a vinyl cutter. As she
mentioned throughout the interview, the reality is that art and science can support
each other so much and inspire students to build a great deal of self-insight. When
students combine science, such as with added LED lights and copper wires to fabric,
they can drive innovation and build their passions into the projects. Both of these
scholars highlighted positive experiences that allowed them to develop stronger projects
to benefit the youth that they were working with in their communities.
It is critical to hear about all the excitement that comes from the scholars,
but it is also essential to recognize where the funding for the MakeHER Scholars Program
is sourced. According to the Project Coordinator of the WYAA, Kate Foster, WYAA is
a statewide network working to create conditions for youth to reach their full potential.
They work to find opportunities for those working in youth development to ensure that
Wyoming-focused projects receive the full level of support possible. With the MakeHER
Scholars Program, the scholars from the first year were able to get what they needed
through the courses offered and the insight each brought to the table. For some, they
developed a deeper understanding of how to present STEM information to youth, and
others learned what it meant to work with youth presentations for the first time.
This type of collaboration was authentic and gave a space for growth which can be
seen in the development of the second-year cohort design. Each youth developer selected
in the program will get to work with one of the mentors from the first-year cohort
to learn more about what worked for them and what they hope for in the future. As
was noted by Kate, "makerspaces and these afterschool activities allow for a space
where students can try and fail without the same consequences as they may have with
a grade in the classroom. It allows students an opportunity for creativity, solution-mindedness,
and persistence."
The MakeHER Scholars Program is one of a number of Millions Girls Moonshot
partners at UW. The Wyoming Afterschool Alliance is also partnering with the UW College
of Engineering and Applied Sciences along with Trustees Education Initiative to connect
youth across the state with mobile makerspaces. The mobile makerspaces will infuse
design thinking concepts and social emotional learning into the curriculum along with
the expected content surrounding makerspace technologies. The mobile makerspaces will
connect schools, industry, and communities where physical makerspaces are otherwise
not immediately accessible. Expanded learning programs and organizations around the
state will also be instrumental in getting K-12 students connected to these maker
opportunities. For other projects coming from the Million Girls Moonshot program in
Wyoming, please also check out this website:
Million Girls Moonshot Page.
This program showcases the potential for meaningful impacts outside of classroom
settings, the possibilities for Wyoming students of partnering with community and
corporate organizations, and the potential for persistent and supportive team-building
that are emerging from the first-year MakeHER Scholars Program cohort.
If you are interested in applying for such an opportunity or know someone
else who would benefit from being a part of this program, here is the link:
Application Link. The team members are looking for individuals who are committed to changing the field
of STEM in meaningful ways. If you believe you are that type of person and may not
have a project in mind yet, consider applying and see how much can be developed with
the help of the cohort and the MakeHER Scholars Program Team. For those who have additional
questions, Jane Crayton will be leading informational sessions before the November
19th deadline so please contact her at jcrayton@uwyo.edu for updates on those dates
and times.
